Citizen Journalism

Dec 292011

Christmas in Colombia: Newsroom Joins Religion and Rumba Mix

by Ronnie Lovler

Here, December comes with an undercurrent that feels uniquely Colombian. The Christmas celebrations show a deep commitment to religion – as throughout the Western world. But they show the same deep commitment to rumba – that is, the Colombian expression for partying and having a good time.

Dec 62011

$1 Million Fund Seeds New Media Innovations in Africa

by Justin Arenstein

I’ve crisscrossed the African continent over the past five months, clocking more than 27,000 miles as I’ve helped newsrooms come to grips with the new digital era. And wherever I go, I meet two to three journalists per day who think they have a solution to the malaise that paralyzes much of the continent’s traditional media.

Dec 12011

New Mobile SMS Service Helps Indonesian Villagers Hold Company Accountable

The first message came by text on October 17 from a cell phone in rural Indonesia, and it quickly got results – a surprising and encouraging turn of events for the new citizen journalist who sent it.

“One hundred residents of Sei Enau village … are defending their lands,” it read in the native Indonesian language. It was the very first SMS message sent through a new communications system developed by Knight International Journalism Fellow Harry Surjadi, in partnership with Ruai TV and Internews.

Program: 
Indonesia: Launch a Mobile Environmental News Service for Rural Communities
Nov 212011

Brazil’s Largest Daily Expands Multimedia Blog for Underserved Communities

As a Knight International Journalism Fellow in Brazil, Bruno Garcez launched the Mural multimedia blog for citizens in Sao Paulo’s poor neighborhoods. Now hosted and supported by the country’s largest daily newspaper, the blog is thriving… and the number of citizen-journalist bloggers is growing.

Program: 
Brazil: Tapping the Power of Citizen Journalists to Increase Coverage of Poverty
Nov 212011

Wall Street Journal Features Mobile News Service For India's Poor

"India Real Time" blog in the Wall Street Journal writes about the cellular news service created by Knight International Journalism Fellow Shubhranshu Choudhary for citizens in remote provinces. Trained citizen journalists, for the first time, are providing news in the local language—and often beating mainstream media to the story.

Program: 
India: Use Mobile Technology to Bring News to Isolated Tribal Communities

CJs in Training in Indonesia

These villagers in Indonesia are citizen-journalists-in-training, learning to send short news items through their mobile phones.

Nov 102011

Villagers Become Citizen Journalists in Rural Indonesia

by Harry Surjadi

After a two-day workshop I held recently on the basics of citizen journalism, one participant summed up the importance of his new task: "The training taught me how to become a critical person,” said 25-year-old Juliatus, a resident of Sei Enau village.

Nov 42011

New Mashable Platform to Showcase Content From the International Journalists’ Network

by Irene Moskowitz, Communications Officer

The International Journalists’ Network (IJNet) will reach more users than ever through a new venture with Mashable, a leading source for digital news and culture. IJNet is a launch partner in the new Mashable Publisher Platform, which will bring the best content from select publishers directly to Mashable’s community.

Panama-Jorge Luis-Oct blog stats

Since September 21, the website have had 292 new unique visitors, 720 visits, and 1,616 page views.

Mi Panama Transparente stats

From September 21 to October 25, the campaign prompted 35 citizen reports, most of them about corruption.