CNN: Phone Journalism Gives a Voice to India's Rural Poor

By: ICFJ | 02/22/2012

Knight International Journalism Fellow Shubhranshu Choudhary, left, discusses the CGnet Swara mobile network with community activist Azjal Khan. (Photo by Arjun Venkatraman)

When Shubhranshu Choudhary began working as a Knight International Journalism Fellow in India in 2009, he realized that even the most remote villages of the Chhattisgarh region where he was based had access to cell phones. Those phones offered an opportunity for him to build a cellular news network that allows the villagers to communicate with each other as well as with activists, government officials and mainstream media.

Today his network, CGnet Swara, has logged tens of thousands of calls from citizen journalists, leading to hundreds of news stories.

Related Programs
ICFJ Knight Fellowships
News Category
Press Mention
Topics
Media Innovation
Critical-Issues Reporting
Country/Region
South Asia

Latest News

ICFJ Statement on African News Innovation Challenge

From 2012 to 2014, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) worked in partnership with the African Media Initiative (AMI) to manage programs aimed at helping African media and media support outlets to improve the quality of their journalism, their use of technology, and their financial sustainability. Among these programs was the African News Innovation Challenge (ANIC), with its digital innovation lab, which provided grants and mentoring to organizations with the best ideas for finding technological solutions for news gathering and dissemination.

U.S. Ethnic and Indigenous Media Play Critical Role in Countering Disinformation, New ICFJ Study Finds

While political disinformation is surging across the United States, one part of the news media is proving especially resilient in stopping the spread of false information – ethnic and Indigenous newsrooms, according to a new study by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

ICFJ+ and Project C to Map Standout News Creators Worldwide

There are a lot of talented news creators out there doing compelling journalistic work. But finding them can be hard. That’s why ICFJ+ and Project C are teaming up to launch regional lists of news creators to watch across the globe. The goal is simple: surface and elevate news creators who are building deep relationships with loyal audiences across newsletters, video, podcasts, social media, and more.