Starving Mongolia

In two months time I expect to be traveling through Siberia and Mongolia.  As I read up on the places I might pass through and what citizen journalism is going on there, I’ve run into the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Mongolia.  Following a summer drought and currently one of the coldest winters the country has ever experienced, cattle are dying by the millions. A source of income and sustenance for 35 to 40% of the Mongolian population, according to the UN, the onslought of starving cattle leaves hundreds of thousands of people in a desperate situation.

Speaking about the situation for children in Mongolia, UNICEF reports that more than 400,000$ is needed in essential medical and humanitarian supplies, in addition to at least 300,000$ in order to reach those living in remote and now isolated regions of the vast country. In total, around 63,000 children are in need of assistance from either the national government or international organizations as a result of this crisis. Temperatures are currently hovering around -40 to -50C and are expected to stay that way into April.

While in Mongolia I will not likely be in any remote regions of the country, but I will still be asking people and putting out content about what I find out in regards to this terrible situation. Thankfully even in a part of the world that doesn’t get much mainstream media attention EVER, there are citizen journalists at work even there.  One great project associated with my friends at Global Voices Online is called Nomad Green (who I hope to meet with in April).  It features voices in both Mongolian and English, writing about these and other developments relating to quality of life in Mongolia.

Azeri Video Bloggers Update

A recent podcast on this site was dedicated to telling the story of the Azeri videobloggers/youth activists who were attacked, arrested and held on a hooliganism charge. At that time their sentence had still not been decided.  In this past week the verdict was handed down, Emin 2.5 years, Adnan 2 years in prison.

In an analysis of this verdict and its impact on freedom of expression and the press, especially for bloggers and different types of citizen journalists, Ali asks the questions:

How do Azerbaijani youth activists and citizen journalists feel? Are they scared? Will this verdict cause them to be less outspoken and critical in the future?

According to Ali, when their sentence was handed down, Emin declared to the court that it was an honor for him to be imprisoned for his ideals.

Spied On, Arrested, and Deported

This month marks the beginning of a series in both text as well as podcasts, focusing on journalists of all kinds who have been stopped from doing their work.  Whether they’ve been spied on, detained, deported or even murdered, the point of this series will be to shed more light on reporters and critical voices who have been targeted because of the work that they do.

The first case will come this week with the arrest of two Azeri video journalists in jail since July 8th when they were assaulted and arrested.  Both Emin Milli and Adnan Hadji-zadeh are citizen journalists and were extremely active in organizing youth online before being taken in to custody.  They’ve been charged with hooliganism, though it is not clear why or what that means in Azerbaijan. Their trial, which has generated international concern and criticism, has been repeatedly delayed.

Later this week my guest on the podcast will be Ali S. Novruzov, Azeri blogger and concerned citizen who has been following this issue since the beginning. Together we will talk about how this all happened, the situation for citizen journalists and journalists in general in Azerbaijan, and much more.

Not Just Comments

This site… or blog if you prefer to call it.. is fast approaching its 7th year in existence.? The podcast, soon to be on its 5th year. And even years before any of this, I edited my own little website on a long forgotten service called geocities, where I would write news commentary. And the one constant throughout all of this, besides my concern for the world and the fact that many of you were reading along even back then, has been a place for comments.

Comments on the internet, especially on published work (personal or otherwise), have long been the source of a lot of promises, praise, and condemnation.? The idea that anyone can write what they think, be it an angry gut reaction or a well thought out respectful criticism, or of course the occasional praise… it can all be a part of what you see on the site and what the content producer has put out there.? Its arguably the key ingredient of what makes a blog special. Arguably the future of this internet we’re all a part of.? Despite many sites out there deciding against comments or having to turn them off eventually do to some extreme or minor problem that could relate to harassment, what some people call hate speech, or just general irritance…. still a huge amount of sites, this one included, have managed to chug on.. comments and all.? Moreover I often think that my comments section is a good place, a mostly open and welcoming space where you can add to, comment on, or argue with something I’ve said or done.? Some just use it to say hello or make me laugh… sometimes a very uplifting occurrence.? Sometimes though, I’m bothered by a comment, by disrespect, or even by something I said without thinking something through.? Still.. the comments section rolls on.

This was the topic on the most recent episode of On the Media (3rd segment in the show), questioning what good comments have done news sites and blogs, versus what difficulties they may have brought. As usual I could have though of some better voices to have included in this segment. Especially net natives and freedom fighters like my friend Tony Pierce of the LA Times and the Busblog, who could have told them the beauty and occasional horror of the comments section. I would have also told them to talk to my dear Bitch Phd, another seasoned veteran who has (what I would call) a very special relationship with a VERY active comments section.

I digress, I do recommend the latest edition of OTM specifically for the focus on comments.? Even beloved/behated NPR voice Ira Glass tells of his experience.

Maybe you have your own take on news sites or blogs and how they manage comments.? Or perhaps, about the comments on my site.? If so, you know what to do…

The Audience That Wasn’t There

My presentation about the problems facing citizen journalists and citizen journalism today. PArt of my talk given at Re:publica’08 here in Berlin. Lots of podcasts being prepared as part of this event, and later I might have video. For now as I continue visiting with my favorite citizens of Berlin, I give you my brief presentation (minus the Wire clip about doing more with less.)

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