News

Witchcraft in Malawi Provides Challenges for Journalists

Editors note: Knight Fellow Edem Djokotoe discusses the challenges and various methods of identifying and prosecuting withcraft.

The witchcraft stories that make the news range from spine-chilling and spooky to downright bizarre to fatally tragic. Take the case of 26-year-old Leticia Wyson from Nkondilile Village in central Malawi, for example. On January 15, villagers say she gave birth to two plastic bags containing a millipede, a snail, two mango seeds and nine small stones instead of a baby.

Indian Magazine Features Knight International Journalism Fellow's Alternative News Platform

Down To Earth profiles Knight Fellow Shubhranshu Choudhary's project, CGNet Swara, a mobile news network that crowdsources tips from tribal populations of India.

Journalists in the Jungles of Peru Face Disease-carrying Mosquito and Other Challenges

When you mention Peru, most people think of llamas, the imposing Andes, and the mythical Machu Picchu without realizing that over 60 percent of its territory is jungle. Actually, the Amazon River which is surrounded by some of the thickest rain forest in the world, begins high above the Peruvian Andes, and winds its way 4,000 miles into the Atlantic.

This portion of Peru is referred to as La Selva, or the jungle, one of the three distinct regions in the country. The other two are La Costa (the Coast) and La Sierra (the Mountains).

Unemployed Journalists in Haiti Still Finding Stories to Report

Several weeks into an investigative training program for Haitian journalists who lost their jobs after the January 2010 earthquake, a second group of journalists asked to join.

Our first session was held in a tent on the grounds of a state school in Cite Soleil, which for years was referred to as the poorest slum in the Western hemisphere. With a million or so people still living in camps throughout the capital since last year’s earthquake, I’m not sure that label still fits. But there’s no argument that the population is poor.

Media Development Loan Fund Features Ross Settle's Work with Malaysiakini

Media Development Loan Fund features Knight Fellow Ross Settles' account of his project with Malaysiakini, Malaysian independent news site. Settles explains the project's goals are "to support Malaysiakini's traditional reporting goals of balance and independence, leverage its strengths and build a new revenue line."

Getting started in digital journalism? Here's a selected reading list

If you are just getting started in digital journalism, or if you want to broaden your knowledge, the following books and blogs might be helpful. They have helped me.

Editor & Publisher Features Knight International Journalism Fellow's News Source for Rural India

Editor & Publisher magazine profiles Knight Fellow Shubhranshu Choudhary's project, CGNet Swara, a mobile news network that enables tribal populations to send in news relevant to their population. The piece calls the network the "first source of news in the state."

Political Coverage Will Help Determine Strength of Sierra Leone’s First Public TV Network

At the moment, the Sierra Leone People’s Party is the official opposition in Parliament. The ruling All People’s Congress won the 2007 election by a narrow margin and the next national election is slated for some time in 2012. By all accounts, this next election will be a touchstone for democracy, continued development and peace in Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation, as an independent, balanced and fair public service broadcaster, will lead the coverage of the campaign and the elections.

Panamanian Newspapers Are Getting Wired

The Panamanian newspapers have taken serious steps to enhance their online presence opening YouTube channels, blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts and creating crowdsourcing tools to get photos, videos and information produced by their readers.

Broadcasting in Sierra Leone is Going Through an Evolution

Let’s look at radio first. According to a “2010 Media Use Survey,” commissioned by Fondation Hirondelle and Cotton Tree News (CTN), the peak times for radio listening are between 6:00 and 7:30 a.m. and between 6:00 and 8:30 p.m.