Citizen Journalism

Corporate-Assisted Repression of Expression

by Diane Farsetta — January 5, 2006 - 5:54pm

Microsoft shut down "a popular Chinese-language blog" by journalist Zhao Jing on December 30, on the grounds that it "has run edgy content potentially offensive to Chinese authorities." The blog "had criticized the government's firing of top editors at a progressive Beijing newspaper." Microsoft stated, "Most countries have laws and practices that require companies providing online services to make the internet safe for local users. ... In China, local laws and practices require consideration of unique elements." Mr.

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), January 5, 2006

WANTED: Citizen Journalists To Bust More Jack Abramoffs

by John Stauber — January 4, 2006 - 7:54am

Artificial Intelligence, a citizen journalist, began an article about lobbyist Jack Abramoff on our SourceWatch website two and a half years ago. Others, including SourceWatch editor Bob Burton, have added to the article. Now, Jack Abramoff's plea bargain is the biggest U.S.

Main Source: 
SourceWatch, January 3, 2006

Tracking the Zigs and Zags of Issues

by Bob Burton — December 9, 2005 - 11:11pm
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism, Public Relations

    • By anybody's standards, the last few weeks have been unusual. The Mirror, a British tabloid, reported receiving a leaked government memo which purportedly shows that George W. Bush wanted to silence Al Jazeera's journalistic coverage of Iraq with a bombing strike on its Doha, Qatar headquarters. When a memo of the April 16, 2004 meeting between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair was leaked, Blair wanted the British media gagged to stop the public from finding out other details of his chat with Bush. While he doesn't want discussion of his meeting with Bush, Blair does want to foster public debate over his plan to expand nuclear power as a 'solution' to climate change.

    If I Didn't Build It, They Wouldn't Come

    by Sheldon Rampton — November 16, 2005 - 9:00am

    "It seems strange, in our day of multiple 24-7 news channels, the always-on Internet, and RSS to say that we don’t have enough news," writes Lisa Williams. "But in most cities and towns that happen to be more than 500 feet outside a major media market, the local people suffer more from media anorexia than information overload. It’s hard to find good information about the place where you live." Williams describes her own experiences trying to fill the gap with H2Otown, her citizen journalism website for Watertown, Massachusetts.

    Main Source: 
    PressThink, November 14, 2005

    Handbook for Cyber-Dissidents

    by Sheldon Rampton — October 28, 2005 - 11:42am

    Reporters Without Borders has published a "Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents," with technical instructions and advice for people who want to use the internet as a means of expression in repressive societies.

    Main Source: 
    Reporters Without Borders

    Open Source Documentary

    by Sheldon Rampton — August 9, 2005 - 1:18pm

    Kent Bye's "Echo Chamber Project" is attempting a new type of citizen journalism: an "open source, investigative documentary about the how the television news media became an uncritical echo chamber to the Executive Branch leading up to the war in Iraq." By "open source," Bye means that he is sharing both the transcripts and footage from his documentary with anyone who wants to use it or remix it with other footage as they see fit.

    Main Source: 
    Echochamberproject.com

    Democratic Media: A Do-it-Yourself Starter Kit

    by Sheldon Rampton — June 26, 2005 - 5:07pm
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism

    • "I visit the States three or four times a year, and watching the television news in hotel rooms in the last three years has been like witnessing a time-lapse study of emasculation," writes Henry Porter, the London editor of Vanity Fair magazine, in his ruminations about the unmasking of FBI official Mark Felt as "Deep Throat," the Watergate whistleblower.

    GuantanaWiki

    by Diane Farsetta — June 22, 2005 - 4:54pm

    Online volunteers are "using collaborative wiki software to expedite the process of perusing thousands of pages of complex documents related to detainees held by the U.S.

    Main Source: 
    Wired News, June 22, 2005

    Edelman's Rescue Plan for the PR Industry

    by Bob Burton — May 19, 2005 - 11:03pm
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism, Public Relations

    • Over the last four months, Richard Edelman, the CEO, president and chair of the privately-owned PR firm Edelman, has been busy blogging away about how the public standing of the PR industry is in free-fall.

    In a May 2nd post, he was incredulous that blogger David Weinberger - who has been a consultant to Edelman's firm - doesn't think that PR people have a role in the blogosphere, because they are, by their very nature, propagandists.

    A few weeks back, Edelman blogged about spending a weekend smarting after CNN/US president Jon Klein referred to "sophisticated corporate PR departments, marketers and politicians" as "propagandists," during his speech to the National Association of Broadcasters.

    While it might seem self-evident to most people that the PR industry is in the propaganda business, these incidents led an agitated Edelman to propose a five-point plan to rescue the PR industry’s tarnished credentials.

    Blogging Puts PR in a Spin

    by Bob Burton — May 16, 2005 - 3:51am

    Jay Rosen, who is an Associate Professor at New York University's Journalism Department and author of the PressThink blog, believes the rise of blogging is posing a major challenge to the PR industry. Rosen argues that because PR is "totally about control," the PR industry will struggle to cope with the proliferation of sources of information and opinions available on the Internet.

    Main Source: 
    Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 12, 2005
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