Orange Magazine 1/2014 - DW

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From Information to Participation Challenges for the Media

ConTenT Youssef: 4 Bassem Fear sells, but it’s Unsustainable

10 Facing The rise of social media Birth of a nicaraguan Digital 12 The movement European Youth Press The European Youth Press (EYP) is a network of young media makers with 26 member organisations, gathering 60,000+ young journalists. EYP strives to promote the role of youth media and the freedom of press in Europe and beyond. EYP manages projects and events such as the European Youth Media Days, organises seminars and represents young journalists in Europe, publishes Orange Magazine and much more.

Orange magazine Fresh. Vibrant. Creative. Orange Magazine provides journalistic education and supports young journalists by giving them room to explore media and current affairs.

Writers and photographers from different countries with diverse backgrounds make this magazine unique. They create multi-faced magazines with new and interesting contents. Creating it means having an exciting time in an ever changing environment. Reading it means getting facts and opinions directly from young and innovative journalists.

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14 #serbiaFloods From online information to liVe participation

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Publishers line: Orange Magazine European Youth Press, Rue de la Tourelle 23, BE-1040, Brussels, Belgium

Editor-in-Chief: Dobriyana Tropankeva (Bulgaria/ Denmark) Editor & Proofreader: Anna Valmero (Philippines) Layout: Tomas Lacika (Slovakia) Petri Vanhanen (Finland) Dobriyana Tropankeva (Bulgaria/Denmark) Photos by: Tomas Lacika (Slovakia) Anna Valmero (Philippines)

Read more at: www.orangemagazine.eu

Writers: Soraia Ramos (Portugal) Emnet Assefa (Ethiopia) Demetrios Pogkas (Greece) Saltana El Jazouli (Morocco) Mahmudul Hasan (Bangladesh) Rana Taha (Egypt) Sara Pathirana (Sri Lanka) Tapang Ivo Tanku (Cameroon) Cinthia MembreĂąo (Nicaragua) Video and Multimedia Rachana Veng (Cambodia) Bianca Consunji (USA/Philippines) Milena Stosic (Serbia) Radio Team Marine Leduc (France) Ahmed Anchour (Tunisia)

All articles do not necessarily represent the opinions of the magazine.

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eDiToriAl now is the Time to reinvent Journalism!

“The future of journalism is the people.” This provocative thought sparked a heated discussion between an advocate for Open Web, Jeff Jarvis, and four international media executives, including recognised names such as DW and Al Jazeera.

This statement also hit right at the heart of this year’s Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum main topic, “From Information to Participation: Challenges for the Media.” The big question was: What is the future of journalism?

Crowdsourced journalism is becoming more and more popular, but there is a difference between social media sharing and journalism. Salah Negm from Al Jazeera said, “Social media is about interpersonal communication, whereas journalism is mass communication.” With the former, people reach only their social circle, but with the latter, news has the ability to spread globally.

Negm added that he sees journalism “Not as a profession, but as a mission.” He cited this year’s keynote speaker as an example: the Egyptian cardiac surgeon Bassem Youssef, who turned into one of the most popular Egyptian satirical TV hosts.

“Is Google the new gatekeeper?” was the question that came from the audience of journalists. Jarvis pointed out that he is happy that Google provides much more relevant news for him than his local newspaper. Yet although Google-sourced news is more relevant for us, the search results can also be limiting.

by Dobriyana Tropankeva, Editor in Chief

giants like Google and Facebook have a big share of it. But even if they dominate data ownership, how you find your way through the millions digits of Big Data added every day in text, videos and photos? These are questions that are still to be answered.

Yes, the face of journalism is changing and technological development is faster than we can keep up to. And if it is time to reinvent journalism as everyone agrees, isn’t it an exciting time to be a journalist? The time has come to experiment with new techniques, to explore new journalism mediums, to find new socio-economic models, to learn new methods of communication. To be more detailed and targeted, yet more global.

Orange magazine will take you on a trip not only through the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum sessions, but also around the world with articles coming from Nicaragua to Cambodia and from Ukraine to Sri Lanka. And to take a step into 21st century technologies, we have prepared infographics, social media Storify compilations, videos and podcasts that you can find on ou r website www.orangeamagazine.eu.

“Data has become the new oil,” said Mathias Döpfner. Online

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Bassem Youssef: Fear Sells, But It’s Unsustainable Text by Rana Muhammad Taha, Egypt

“Fear might sell. It might work out, but it will eventually face its defeat by vibrant young people, who will not give into it,” said Egyptian political satirist Bassem Youssef at the Deutshe Welle Global Media Forum 2014.

Long inspired by American satirist Jon Stewart and later dubbed as his Egyptian equivalent, Youssef gained widespread popularity after the 2011 uprising in Egypt.

He was credited for creating the region’s first political satire TV show, Al-Bernameg. After 152 episodes, the show was indefinitely cancelled in June after facing repeated short-term suspensions.

Satire as a Weapon Youssef said his show used satire as a weapon to “dissect through the lies” of the ruling authorities.

“We used humour to face religious fascism and false nationalism,” he said.

During the tenure of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, Youssef faced investigation for insulting the former president on his show in 2013.

During the forum, Youssef denied that his show was responsible for Morsi’s ouster.

“Their [The Muslim Brotherhood regime’s] ouster means they were weak; it doesn’t mean we are a strong show,” he said.

Photo Credit: Tomas Lacika

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Fear, Propaganda, Fascism Youssef described fear as “the most effective of all weapons” that can sell fascism and undermine human rights.

An episode produced after Morsi’s July ouster stirred controversy when the satirist took jabs at the exaggerated support of the people for former Defence Minister and current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

Egypt’s private TV network CBC suspended Youssef’s show after the episode for “failing to abide by the channel’s editorial policy.” The show then moved to Saudi-owned network MBC and aired 11 episodes before its June suspension.

Despite the general belief that fear and propaganda succeeded in suppressing opinions with the show’s cancellation, Youssef hinted that it was only temporary.

“You cannot rule the world of today as you did in the 1950s and 1960s, unless you’re North Korea,” Youssef said jokingly.

The show’s suspension done before the proclamation of AlSisi as Egypt’s new president, was seen as an early sign of deteriorating press freedom in the country.

Youssef described the show’s shutdown as a “new beginning,” adding that the show inspired several youth groups to come out and express their opinions online.

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A Look at the Future of Journalism Text by Emnet Assefa, Ethiopia

Text by Mahmudul Hasan, Bangladesh

The future of journalism and its impact on the role of international broadcasters was a hotly debated topic at this year’s Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

“The future of journalism is the people,” said Jeff Jarvis, journalist and professor at the City University of New York.

There is a need for journalism more than ever in a digital age, but it should be one that is open to the public and one that serves society, Jarvis noted.

Peter Limbourg, Director General of Deutsche Welle Germany, concurred and added that the role of journalists is constantly evolving in the digital age.

“Journalists are not the gatekeepers anymore,” said Limbourg. “The future needs stronger journalism that ensures the delivery of accurate, verified, and trusted information.”

He added that public participation should be at the core of it.

Internet and Journalism Dopfner said the Internet can facilitate and speed up communications, but it should not change the core principles of journalism.

Relevance “Journalism is a profession that sets the benchmark of gathering, validating, and disseminating information,” said Jawhar Sircar, CEO of India’s Prasar Barati.

Emerging forms of content creation such as crowdsourcing, which gather vast amounts of information without the necessary verification methods, heavily impact the practice of journalism.

This is where trust in the practice of journalism comes in.

“Trust makes journalism more of a mission than just a profession,” said Salah Negm, chief editor of al-Arabiya satellite channel of Al Jazeera.

In terms of media financing and media ownership, Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Chairperson and CEO of Axel Springer, stressed on the need for a healthy financial ecosystem for journalism, one that is not directed by commercial interests to ensure impartiality and fairness.

Admitting that they barely scratched the surface of the future of journalism, the panel concluded there is a need to sustain the quality of journalism content with the use of digital technologies to explore opportunities for new business models.

“Journalists still look for untold stories, ask the hard questions, and bring the necessary news to the people,” he added.

Photo Credit: Tomas Lacika

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The Fight Against Information Control “The fight against information censorship is the same as the fight for a functioning free press,”

Text and picture by Tapang Ivo Tanku, Cameroon

“The fight against information censorship is the same as the fight for a functioning free press,” said Dany O’Brien, a media and communications expert at this year’s Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

According to O’Brien, governments shutting down Internet access across nations as a practice is detrimental to journalism.

“Understanding their reason behind such acts will require a multidisciplinary approach,” said O’Brien.

Unreliable Internet connection, censorship policies, and strong legislation against the media are among the strongest forms of censorship practiced in young democracies.

Speakers agreed that the methods enacted to control them evolved

Participants attend the workshop on multidisciplinary research and reporting on information control in Bonn, Germany.

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with improvements in online content production.

The Country Director of Bytes for All in Pakistan, Shahzad Ahmad, told participants that governments often cite hate speech, religious tensions, and violence are commonly as reasons for censorship. Non-state actors have been largely accused along cultural, political, and economic lines for creating hate speech, said Ahmad, adding that they often enjoy impunity.

What is most worrying is that governments often attack networks before presidential elections, according to one of the participants, news editor for Cameroon-based Post Newspaper Kini Nsom. “This is a common practice in repressive regimes,” he said.

Collin described that in 2013, the Iranian government in 2013 reportedly

slowed down Internet connection to ultralow speeds that cannot support the consumption and distribution of multimedia content as a means to avoid controversy.

“Instead of investing on improving development in their nations, regimes waste valuable resources to control the media,” said Ahmad.

Kathuria described how his company software Psiphon is shaping the media by offering solutions to networks and millions of citizens who help report government censorship on the media.

The panelists agreed that there is a need for political, social, cultural, and economic solutions that will promote and nurture an environment for a free press.

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Avaaz shares tips on how to mobilize 37 million people

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How to create a successful online campaign Deutsche Welle

1. Understand the 4Cs. In mounting any campaign, look for the 4Cs: change, case, care, and clarity.

Campaigns must h a ve a t h e o r y o f c h a n g e that the members can hope for and a case that explains why it merits the community’s support.

Emma Ruby-Sachs of Avaaz.org describes how to make people care about joining an online campaign.

Text and pictures by

by Anna Valmero, Philipinnes

Text by

by Soraia Ramos, Portugal

A global advocacy network that started in 2007, Avaaz grew incredibly with 37 million members to use the power of the Internet to act on important global issues such as corruption, freedom of expression, and most recently, climate change.

The impressive growth of the organization is anchored on creating trust between the organization, the community, and the issues they aim to support, which help build democratic accountability in the organization’s DNA. “When communicating online campaigns, it is essential to treat your audience as prime ministers or presidents who have very busy schedules. We do not take their time, just two minutes so they can understand and take action on an issue that they care about,” noted Emma Ruby-Sachs, campaign director at Avaaz.org.

Before starting a campaign, Avaaz.org needs at least 80 percent approval of its total members. Often, they won’t aprove their proposals.

“That’s democratic accountability building into our DNA. The wisdom of our community actually makes sure that the focus always followed by tight, and relevance and successful strategy. We don’t win every time, but we win enough,” said the official. Ruby-Sachs shares in an interview their formula for mobilizing 37 million people during the sidelines of the Global Media Forum 2014. Read the five main points in the fact box.

2. Clear Goals.

Every campaign should make members care so they can fully participate in its realization, both online and offline.

Clarity in purpose and strategy is key to ensure the campaign will cause harm or unintended consequences.

3. Treat that Email Like a Hit Song.

Men spend an average of three seconds to read an email and women spend seven seconds so make that email count with “hit song formula.”

4. Describe the Opportunity for Change.

Start the email with “crisitunity,” a short description of what is the crisis and the opportunity for change. Follow up with the theory of change on how an action by a particular person, member, or the community can help make a difference.

Then finally, ask how the members voice, skills, or money will be used to support campaigns.

5. Hope is the Secret Sauce.

A person will not act if they do not see hope in an action or a cause they are helping to promote. When mounting online campaigns, reflect how the collective action of the community can achieve the desired change in a voice that is authentic, deliberate, and truthful.

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How Safe is Your Personal Data Online?

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by Anna Valmero, Philipinnes

“Keepings online records and personal information secure is essential and should be treated as you would offline,” said Andreas Schuster, computer forensic analyst at Deutsche Telekom based in Bonn.

In a highly connected digital world, information is gold. In fact, cyber attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and phishing cost the global economy some $445 billion a year.

“Treat your information as an asset and be determined to protect it,” said Schuster in an interview during the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum 2014.

Here’s a checklist of the six basic steps in securing your online information.

1. Be Careful with your Personal Information.

Do not post in public personal information such as your real name, postal address, and birthdate, which can be used to open or access your bank accounts.

2. Don’t be Too Social.

The Internet is a wonderful avenue for collaboration but be mindful to not overshare everything about you on social media. If possible, limit public posts on your location and interests as they increase the chances of more personalized attacks.

3. Get an Antivirus Program.

Paying for an annual subscription of antivirus is cheaper than making yourself vulnerable to attacks. It takes only a couple of minutes for automated software to attack vulnerabilities on your computer and cellphone and months to discover the security breach. In Germany, this can mean 2,000 euros for a person, whose credit card information was hacked.

4. Upgrade.

To save time, automate upgrades as vendors issue them as often as two to five days. Do not wait for months because it increases your risk for attacks.

5. There is No Free Lunch.

Think you scored a deal by hooking up on a free WIFI at a café? Think again.

Most free WIFI hotspots are unencrypted, making your data and account passwords vulnerable to cyber attackers who “sniff” passwords over unprotected networks. The same goes for pirated software that you pay with your personal data once the included malware starts running on your PC’s background.

6. Do Two-Step Verification with Online Accounts.

Aside from your account password, set up to receive another code to your mobile phone—which you alone has physical access to—before accessing your account. As much as possible, only log in using secure computers and mobile phones.

Photo Credit: Tomas Lacika

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Q&A: Digital Storytelling and Its Impact to Society Deutsche Welle

Text and pictures by: Sara Pathirana, Sri Lanka

Digital tools ushered new ways of creative storytelling. During the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum, experts weighed in on how the future of journalism will be shaped by digital storytelling.

Guido Kowalski How can digital storytelling help influence society?

Kowalski: Digital storytelling means presenting a story in an interactive manner through the use of digital content. A story’s topic can be an idea, a culture, a community, or even a crisis.

It enables one to specialize on a topic and competency of presenting stories.

What tools can be used for digital storytelling?

Kowalski: Proficiency in the use of tools such as camera for photography and video recording and editing software is needed for the craft. The good news is these tools are becoming cheaper and easier to use than before.

Guido Kowalski, Head of Webmastering and Project Head at the Grimme-Institut in Germany.

Sarolta Berke What are the applications for digital storytelling?

Berke: Imagination is the only limit in terms of applications for digital storytelling. In the social context, it can be used in education, healthcare, and therapy as well as in most aspects of daily life.

Unlike the traditional learning method wherein a teacher gives out the information to the student based on what’s prescribed in the textbook, students, through digital storytelling can make themselves more involved in the subject by doing their own research on a topic that interests them. This can expand into finding available materials on the web that tell more information on the topic, which is an enriching experience for the learner.

How can digital storytelling impact education?

Sarolta Berke, English teacher at the Alternative Secondary School of Economics in Hungary.

Berke: Digital storytelling can impact education in terms of using IT tools and multimedia to complement textbooks and the traditional teaching method. This can also impact the role of the teacher and the student because learning becomes a more participatory process, and students themselves can become teachers of their peers as well.

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Facing the rise of social media Text by Cinthia Membreño, Nicaragua

In this digital and social media age, the biggest mistake traditional journalism can do is to reflect and follow only what is being reported on social media in terms of the traction of a topic in terms of posts instead of providing a richer context to the story, said Sae Yong Tepchai, editorin-chief for Nation Multimedia Group.

Social media’s role is about reflecting the pulse and emotions of the community regarding an issue while mainstream media’s role is about providing context and the larger picture for the audience to understand the story, added Tepchai.

Despite the huge amount of unverified stories and rumours available online, news consumers will still look for reliable sources to crosscheck and verify information, noted Gaven Morris, head of content at ABC News Australia.

Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle

At this point, traditional newspapers and broadcasting channels are not meeting the standards of more discerning audiences when it comes to quality information.

“In Australia, everyone has access to as much information as the rest of the people worldwide, but newspapers do not have the speed they need to compete,” said Morris.

Ironically, the risk of breaking news and speedy reporting opens up issues on accuracy.

In Thailand, up to 40 percent of the country’s population do not believe that mainstream media is objective enough, said Tepchai. To make things worse, the government puts too much effort in controlling the Internet access.

For their part, Morris said they have a process and criteria to analyse if a story merits traditional coverage and even in social media. Sometimes, he even sends a team of multiple reporters to cover an event and produce various formats of reporting.

Photo Credit: Tomas Lacika

He also shared his journalism philosophy to the audience when it comes to multiformat reporting: make decisions early and make them well.

Photo Credit: Tomas Lacika

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The Americas - Nicaragua

Text and picture

by Cinthia Membreño, Nicaragua

We don’t know where the others are. They’re destroying cars, food, medicines.

We hear gunshots, beatings. Help! #OcupaINSS We’re being attacked by hundreds who arrived in trucks owned by the State.

Gunshots. Injured citizens, some disappeared. Help! We need the media! #OcupaINSS They’re robbing cars, breaking their windows #OcupaINSS

Those were the first tweets that described a brutal repression in Managua, Nicaragua, on June 22 2013. It was four in the morning, when a senior citizens’ organization occupied the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS), in order to demand reduced pensions from the State. More than 100 young citizens joined them, but no one imagined that the government of President Daniel Ortega would deploy paramilitary forces to dissolve a peaceful protest.

Mornington.ca

But they were there. At least 200 guys wearing hoodies, attacking both the old and young with metal poles, robbing their vehicles and kidnapping people. Members of the National Police witnessed the attack and did nothing.

The Birth of a Nicaraguan Digital Movement

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The protest was successfully dissolved, at least physically. On Twitter, things were different. The #OcupaINSS hashtag, which initially emerged to organize the community and collect medical supplies for senior demonstrators, gained power. Users shared photos, videos, and testimonies of those persecuted by the State and helped expose what happened in a country where independent media has slowly, but surely, become scarce.

Activism and Independent Media La Prensa was one of the few independent newspapers that reported on the event. Its web editor, Martha Solano, explained that this was not the first time that her team used Twitter to report on a social issue; they were better prepared to identify respectable sources. She claimed that both the OcupaINSS account and the hashtags created to spread information came in handy for them.

“It was much easier to track what was happening in real time,” said Solano. The main challenge was to verify if the tweets were reliable. Solano’s team developed a strategy to solve this.

“We weren’t following just one account but multiple ones, and decided that if a group of users were talking about the same event and their statements coincided, it was probably true,” she said.

The journalist also established a relationship with other young demonstrators and double checked with reporters on the site.

Six days later, Cynara Medina, a Nicaraguan media scholar at Trinity University (Ohio), shared a statistical analysis on her blog that registered the impact of the social movement on Twitter.

Between June 17 and June 27, the #OcupaINSS hashtag generated 66,198 tweets (approximately 45 percent) of all the publications regarding the protest. Considering that Internet penetration in Nicaragua barely reaches 11 percent of its six million population, according to Internet World Stats, the hashtag became a respectable phenomenon.

The professor also explained that the use of the hashtag peaked on June 22, as people shared news of the State attack against senior citizens. This percentage fell down when the government reached an agreement with the senior citizens’ group. After almost a year, the OcupaINSS movement has also lost its drive as authorities refused to give an official statement on who was responsible for the attack.

In Search of Leaders Sofia Montenegro, executive director of the Center for Communication Research (CINCO), claimed this behavior is also a consequence of the lack of leaders within the group, which also makes it vulnerable to crumble under the government’s machinery.

“Virtual movements don’t last if they don’t have a supporting physical structure, with real activists,” she said. These kids lack political training. Things can’t be solved the anarchist way.” Cynara Medina added that in terms of organization, #OcupaINSS is not an organization in the traditional sense of the word. She defines it as an “ad hoc movement” that came out in support of an elder union. “#OcupaINSS did not trigger the protests in Managua, so it should not be regarded as the Nicaraguan equivalent of the so-called Arab Spring. Rather, #OcupaINSS should be considered a short-term manifestation of public opposition to the government,” she explained.

Despite the lack of political training, Montenegro explains that this group in particular contributed to creating a public debate, gathering three generations of Nicaraguans-senior citizens, young protesters, and their parents-and breaking the information blockade the government has slowly created against its own society.

The next step, she noted, will be teaching the younger civil society to effectively draw attention from the masses and learn how to protect them, something she will guarantee to take part in by organizing workshops.

To this day, neither the National Police nor the State, offered an explanation for what happened. OcupaINSS’ last retweet, which belongs to Igor Ortiz, says: 10 meses #J22NoSeOlvida.

The hashtag belongs to another phase of the protest. People vowed they would not forget what happened on June 22.

Sofia Montenegro Executive director of the Center for Communication Research (CINCO) Photo credit: Carlos Herrera

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Europe - Serbia

#SerbiaFloods: From ONLINE Information to LIVE Participation Text by Milena Stosic, Serbia

In May 2014, Serbia was hit by one of the worst floods over the last 120 years, forcing the evacuation of 30,000 people to numerous shelters in Belgrade and nearby cities. At least 35 people were killed based on an early report and more may be recovered once floods subside.

The harrowing picture of homeless people everywhere and the lack of basic supplies brought flashbacks of the past wars in the region. The floods heavily damaged roads, power plants, and other life-saving infrastructure.

During this time, citizens of Serbia united and showed the world images and told stories about the worst flood to hit them in over a century using social media. From May 16 and long before national and international media started reporting about the ongoing situation, citizens initiated numerous self-organized campaigns. And for this purpose, Twitter proved to be priceless as their social media of choice. #Poplave In just seven days, more than half a million tweets were posted with the hashtag #poplave (“floods” in English). The tag itself proved essential to facilitate on-ground communications, especially in the delivery of a humanitarian aid and supplies, coordination of volunteers to work on the protection of river banks, and arrange for transportation on the ground.

Interestingly, the same hashtag was widely used by Twitter users in the countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia, which was struck by the same disaster. #Poplave was widely used in these two countries to help collect and distribute vital supplies such as food, drinking water, rubber boots, and even baby diapers; the same hashtag was useful for updating and alerting the international community and media first hand information of the situation on ground.

Twitter user Bozidar Knezevic from Belgrade testified about the quick response time to tweets about the massive flooding.

“As soon as my friend told me that the volunteers, who built the dikes along the rivers need drinking water, I took that information on Twitter. Shortly after, a woman contacted me and she delivered the water to them”.

The disaster also spawned other important hashtags to help answer specific needs in communities submerged by floods.

These included #poplavesmestaj (“floodaccomodation” in English) for announcing offers for shelter in private homes and #psihologpoplave (“psychologistfloods” in English) to organize and coordinate professionals to assist in psychological and stress debriefing for flood survivors.

To streamline the flow of information during this critical period, volunteers, helpers, and journalists used Twitter badges to create a secure, reliable information flow to address which information gets acted upon by a specific group. This improvisation reflected the high level of responsibility of Twitter users.

Photo Credit: Twitter

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Photo Credit: Twitter

Soon enough, active volunteers created websites to facilitate better coordination of efforts.

“The online community created websites for locating people who needed to be evacuated and another for listing the missing ones,” Sanja Jovanovic, journalist from Novi Sad, explained.

Jovanovic was among the active Twitter users since the flooding started. “I went to the Red Cross, NGOs, and other places where aid was collected; I took several phone numbers from reliable people and I always knew what was going on. I can’t remember the last time I saw people being this active and engaged in helping in information relay and actual on-ground action.”

Saving Lives Across Nations Twitter became a platform and a tool for people across the flood-hit regions to come together and assist in the coordination of efforts immediately after the flooding. Even

those outside the three countries helped promote the cause to help in the relief efforts as reflected in hashtags such as #SupportBalkans, #HelpBalkans or #BalkanFloods, which addressed the international community.

It is assumed that citizen activity on Twitter helped to save more than 1,500 lives because of the timely and accurate information exchange.

A strong wave of young people who took part in rescue and relief efforts started using the hashtag #ZbogSrbije (“because of Serbia” in English) when posting photos of the activity they joined. The same hashtag also carried a strong message against the politicization and misuse of young volunteers.

Estimates account for around 300,000 Twitter accounts in Serbia, although not all of them are active. Despite this, Twitter has proved to be a very valuable tool to faciliate information that lead to participation was most needed.

Citizens dissatisfied with the lack of preparedness and the general handling of the catastrophe also used the hash tag #ostavka (“resignation” in English) to call for greater responsibility among officials.

This is a live event, going on right now, that rests on human solidarity and empathy that you can join too, because #SerbiaNeedsHelp still as well as Bosnia and Hercegovina and Croatia, too. #BalkanFloods.

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Europe - Greece

Success Stories and Rising ‘Makers’ Stories Take Over Crisis Public Sphere in Greece Text and picture by: Demetrios Pogkas, Greece

Mainstream media discourse in Greece during the first two years (mid-2010 – mid-2012) of the country’s bailout programs and the austerity policies imposed by the government and the EU – ECB – IMF troika described significant cuts in public spending, reduced private sector salaries, as well as rising unemployment rates, poverty, and suicide incidents. This is how the media’s headlines looked like:

Poverty threatens three million Greeks.

In June, the public sector laid off 15.000 jobs.

Private sector salaries dropped by 22 %

Psychotropic drugs use to increase because of the crisis.

The dialogue changed during the second period of the Greek crisis, which started in mid-2012 up to the present. Success stories proliferate in mainstream media, including stories of people or companies succeeding locally or overseas and overall, the country ”making it” and finding a way out of the crisis.

Greek tourism success story to keep on in autumn.

A Greek story of success in Brussels

Innovation shows the way out of the crisis.

Greeks living and working in Lower Saxony innovate.

“During the first years of the crisis when it wasn’t clear what the bailout programs and their consequent measures were about, it was unclear which media were proausterity and reforms from those against it. Greek media cultivated a discourse of danger, of fear. We have to comply with the measures, make the changes required in order to avoid a potential disaster for the country,” says Bettina Davou, professor of Cognitive Psychology at the Communications and Mass Media Faculty of the University of Athens since 1992.

“Now, media in Greece have been rearranged into pro and anti-bailout programs and use a likewise discourse. Pro-bailout media are those using the success stories and, in my opinion, keep their audience’s attention off the real issues,” she adds.

Researches on media content have already proved the first part of the argument, but there is still no evidence on the second part, even though empirical data on daily media consumption suggests its validity.

To arrive at their analysis, the team starts from Joseph De Rivera’s “emotional

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climate” theory, which describes how emotions generated during extreme socio-political situations gradually and subconsciously affect people’s collective thinking and behaviour, so they stop acting against the situation.

Davou suggests that media - the number one factor of creating an “emotional climate” by reproducing the political discourse - have adopted the theory and are overexposing their audiences to succesful stories. They are trying to quell Greek people’s looming unrest as anti-reforms opposition starts to pick up.

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“I believe the feature stories of success were not a result of a well-planned propaganda mechanism set up against a particular target. Looking at it from the inside, they understand that the people are desperately turning to the opposition for solutions, so the media have to start inspiring optimism, so the people would not get emotionally exhausted from the crisis. How they’re doing it is a different story altogether,” says Davou.

Mainstream Media Discovers Rising Entrepreneurship Ecosystem For 31 years, Costas Tsaousis has been covering business and finance for big media groups in Greece both in print, radio, and online. Since 2010, he has been working for one of the country’s top-selling weekend newspapers. In 2011, he wrote for the first time a story for a number of young entrepreneurs and their struggles to find a way out of the crisis through entrepreneurship.

He claims this was the first time a mainstream media in Greece “discovered” and featured a story on startup entrepreneurs even though other media outlets, mostly online, have been following that trend for a couple of years. The favorable response from the audience made Tsaousis and his editorin-chief establish a regular column featuring new or young businessmen.

This also made every mainstream media follow suit, Tsaousis says.

“Other mainstream media saw that one of the biggest newspapers wrote about that topic and the audience responded really well, so there is something there for them too,” he tells.

At the very core, he believes the overproduction of “good news” still goes back to the business agenda of the media: produce stories that can sell the most.

Tech entrepreneurship, along with the food and beverage sector, attracts the biggest media visibility today. It is an industry that started in Greece well over 20 years ago with the first e-shops in the late 90s although the concept of starting and running a company has always been part of the Greek economic culture. According to European Commission data, SMEs and family businesses account for the 99.9 percent of all businesses in Greece and they create the 84.8 percent of jobs. Worse, according to the Greek Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research data collected for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, there isn’t even that big of a difference: the percentage of people in Greece between 18 to 64 years who are starting a new business recognize the venture has its ups and downs. Presently, it has a low rate at 5.3 percent in 2010; 8 percent in 2011; 6.5 percent in 2012, and a drop in 2013 to 5.5 percent based on preliminary data.

So, why did media in Greece discover an entrepreneurship boom and even worse, rush in describing them as “success stories” entrepreneurs who have just created an online platform or application and gotten funding from private investors to finance their venture?

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Media Desperate for Success Stories

“The media in Greece are looking desperately to present stories of success. They want to connect with the mass of people who are worried about what will happen the next day, and on the longer run, their future. Stories of people creating and making their own success is their vehicle to connect with these people,” Tsaousis notes.

“But with mainstream media not understanding what each story really is about and how it is different from another ‘success story’, they are just painting an image that is far from the truth. They don’t tell their audience that those who are extroverted or innovative are facing the same problems with them, since the business environment in Greece is still hostile. They are misleading their audience, creating an illusion, aiming at getting high readership or viewership rates.” Whether it is a matter of taking people’s minds off the current social and financial situation in Greece in an attempt to support the pro-austerity reforms government or it is as simple as giving people what they want to listen to—while selling more papers or attracting more viewers— the media in Greece presents stories of success in a boundless and uncritical way.

Media should indeed bring into the public discussion sphere the trends and how society respond to the current situation. However, they should put them into context—that is the only way can they truly help those succeeding in their fields and not create just another “bubble”.

Newspapers stand in Athens kiosk. Greece participation in the Football World Cup and new bailout measures are standing out the headlines.

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Europe - Romania

Romania: ‘Online Revolution’ Has to Be Qualified

to the online protests as they think it was a small part of the population on the streets,” she explains.

Text and Picture by Marine Leduc, France

The Internet played a big role during the recent protests in Romania. Some experts and even the media called it ‘a digital revolution’. Other specialists urged that the impact of this online engagement should be contextualized and put in the proper perspective. The communist era ended 25 years ago but “Romanians are still afraid to tell their opinions in the public space,” explains Bianca Mitu, a PhD researcher at the University of Bucharest. Her research focuses on communication and online engagement, especially on the Arab Spring and Indignados movements.

“The Internet and social media offer a way to express oneself without any constraints,” she notes. In January 2012, thousands of Romanian gathered to protest against the new health care legislation. “It was the first time when massive protests started online,” Mitu adds.

Online Protests vs. Offline Protests The foreign media covering the protests often described it as the “rebirth” of Romania’s civil society; however, Mitu has another take on the matter.

“There are many people protesting online but they are relatively few on the streets,” she states. “The protests in Romania are characterized by this huge gap between online engagement and offline action.”

According to her, the marches against the exploitation of a gold mine in Rosia Montana and the one against shale gas explorations in 2013 did not have a big impact. “Politicians do not pay attention

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Even if the exploration in Rosia Montana is now put on hold, Mitu notes that the government’s retreat maybe linked to the “upcoming elections.” She adds: “It won’t stop them from exploiting the gold mine in the future.”

On May 6, U.S energy major Chevron already begun drilling for shale gas at its exploration well site in Pungesti, despite various online movements and locals trying to block the area.

A Significant Digital Division “To be able to protest online, people need a computer, a web connection, and the ability to use the Internet,” Mitu notes. “This is not the case for everybody in Romania”.

Even if Romania has the highest download speed in the European Union—57,39 Mbps versus 25,4 Mbps in the EU, the spread of Internet access is highly variable. In 2012, a report from the International Telecommunication Union revealed that only 15,9 percent of the Romanian population is connected to a fixed broadband, while the European average is 27 percent. This is the lowest Internet penetration rate in the EU after Slovakia at 14.6 percent. The mobile subscription is higher: 23.7 percent, but the report shows that it is the third lowest rate in the EU after Lithuania at 8.6 percent and Hungary at 23.1 percent.

“This is one of the reasons why politicians also think that it is only a small part of the society protesting online and offline,” Mitu explains.

“The digital divide really exists in Romania until today,” says Valentina Marinescu, a PhD researcher in the sociology of mass communication from the University of Bucharest. In a country where the cost of an iPhone or a computer is equivalent to a month’s salary, staying connected is a huge challenge.

“First, there is a geographical division between urban and rural areas where it is sometimes hard to get electricity,” Valentina explains. “Then, social and demographic factors such as economic status, age, and education attainment are also contributing factors. Interest on joining online protests is very important, because even if someone has Internet access, it is mainly used to stay in touch with friends or to play games.”

Television remains the main source of information in Romania, especially in rural areas where nearly half (47 percent) of the population resides. Politicians and businessmen own major TV networks that broadcast programs favorable to their owners.

Meanwhile, independent media outlets are mainly found online. “Only a small ‘bubble’ is really interested in politics,” Valentina adds. “If we talk about an ‘online revolution’, it concerns young people who are from the cities with enough money to use the Internet and have an interest in getting good information.”

In 2010, a research on “Digital inclusion” in Romania explains that the Internet “reinforces the already existing inequalities across social categories” and no political measure is taken to overcome these.

“E-inclusion” and bridging the digital divide for every Romanian still has a long way to go.

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Africa - Egypt

Field Reporting in Egypt: A Dangerous Mission

Text & pictures by Rana Muhammad Taha, Egypt

Anti-Morsi protesters March to the Presidential Palace on 7 December, 2012, protesting the attack on an anti-Morsi sit-in two days earlier. The attack on the sit-in led to the death of journalist Al-Hosseini Abu Deif

Almost two weeks before her 22nd birthday, Egyptian reporter Mayada Ashraf was shot dead, while covering a protest that turned violent in Cairo’s Ain Shams neighborhood. Ashraf was among the group of field reporters covering the Egyptian political unrest in 2014, which resulted in the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.

The female reporter was shot in the head while attempting to escape the crossfire. Egypt’s Ministry of Interior insists the pro-Morsi protesters were armed and actively shooting. However, field journalists reported that security forces randomly shot at the protest.

The March 28, 2014 coverage marked the end of Ashraf’s journalistic journey, but it started the debate and raised questions regarding the safety of journalists in Egypt. Regardless of whose gun triggered the bullet that ended Ashraf’s life, one thing was clear; field reporting has become a deadly mission in Egypt.

Since Egypt’s 2011 uprising, at least 10 journalists have been killed, nine of whom have died on the field. This is

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the largest number of journalists killed in Egypt since the assassination of columnist Farag Fouda in June 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Shaimaa Abol Khir, the CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa representative, noted that working conditions for journalists gravely deteriorated since the interim government took over Egypt’s affairs in July 2013.

“Morsi’s tenure opened the door for the use of violence against journalists,” Abol Khir said.

During Morsi’s one year in power, 78 direct assaults on journalists were reported and over 600 reports were filed against journalists regarding their work.

Abol Khir described the number as “unprecedented in Egypt’s modern history.”

Since July 3, 2013, six journalists were killed in Egypt, according to CPJ and Reporters Without Borders. Three deaths occurred on August 14, 2013 alone, during the forcible dispersal of a pro-Morsi encampment set up in Cairo. Wiki-Thawra, an Egyptian database dedicated to documenting statistics of the 2011 uprising, estimated that up to eight journalists were killed on the same day.

“Most of the 65 journalists detained since July 2013 remain imprisoned,” said Abol Khir. Most of them face charges that are related to their work.

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On April 14, 2014, two journalists were injured, while covering a protest that turned violent in Cairo University.

As security forces clashed with students, journalists Khaled Hussein and Amr Al-Sayed were shot and seriously injured.

The Pressure Tool Egypt’s Press Syndicate, the official union of journalists, reacted by calling for an “immediate and indefinite” strike from field reporting until security forces are able to “perform their duty in protecting journalists.”

Abol Khir described the field-reporting strike as a legitimate “pressure tool” against the state. She noted, however, that the Syndicate only recommended the strike instead of enforcing it among members.

“As long as the syndicate doesn’t take any clear measures to enforce this strike, it will remain a media stunt,” Abol Khir said.

The Press Syndicate criticized the “extremely slow” process of investigating crimes committed against journalists, and the failure to hold accountable those who are responsible.

Abol Khir stated that both security forces and groups, which attacked journalists, have succeeded in “scaring off journalists from field reporting,” pointing out that some journalists have boycotted field reporting due to fear for their own safety, while others cannot properly cover events due to fear of the dangers they face.

In response to Mayada Ashraf’s death, Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim called on all female journalists, who are reporting on clashes to do their job while stationed among security forces for protection, unless properly trained for field reporting on crises and disasters.

Military Vests: Protection or Target?

Abol Khir accused the state of “exerting no effort” to protect journalists. The only step taken by the authorities toward the matter, she said, was when the armed forces provided the Press Syndicate with military vests for field reporters’ use.

must begin by releasing all detained journalists,” Abol Khir said.

Sayed Abu Zeid, the Press Syndicate’s legal advisor, said the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior offered the Syndicate vests in response to its calls for a strike from field reporting.

Due to financial struggles, the Syndicate turned to the armed forces for precautionary measures.

Ashraf’s death revealed the state’s aggressions toward journalists. Despite the Press Syndicate’s efforts, Abu Zeid admitted that the state is falling short of its duty in protecting journalists.

Abol Khir warned that using the military vests is “more dangerous than not using any vest at all.” She added that the vests clearly affiliate journalists with the armed forces and therefore subject them to possible assault by anti-army groups such as Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

She noted that the Brotherhood ranks second as a source of violence against journalists, next to authorities.

“As long as we are fighting for our cause, we will eventually push them to provide journalists with adequate protection,” Abu Zeid said.

She noted there is an urgent need to probe the 10 cases of journalists killed in the country since January 2011. Afterwards, it may be possible to identify and pursue other political groups that threaten the media.

“It is a shame that the Press Syndicate - unaware of the dangers of using those vests - is endorsing their use,” Abol Khir said. International standards require field reporters to wear a blue vest with nothing but the word ‘PRESS’ written on it.

Abu Zeid noted that the military vests failed to meet international standards, yet described them as a “step in the right direction.”

“This should serve as an incentive for media outlets to provide their field reporters with precautionary measures which meet international standards,” he said.

Egypt's Press Syndicate Protests

The first step toward protecting field reporters is for the authorities to acknowledge the journalists’ rights to safely practice their job, noted Abol Khir.

“To show good faith, authorities

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Africa - Cameroon

PULLING APART GENDER JUSTICE IN CAMEROON’S MEDIA Text and pictures by Tapang Ivo Tanku, Cameroon

“It is unbelievable that there is only one woman for every 10 male journalists” The media landscape in Cameroon has been largely taken over by men who push forth the agenda of gender-biased political debate and shoved women to the sidelines, according to Professor Justine Diffo, President of More Women in Politics - a civil society organization in Cameroon.

“It is unbelievable that there is only one woman for every 10 male journalists,” he said.

“The best of our journalists have been bought by political leaders, who strongly discourage female participation in debates and politics,” Prof. Diffo noted.

According to the Cameroon National Communications Council, there are no female managers controlling any of its over 500 audiovisual media houses.

The council added that though the number of female journalists has increased over the years, it might drop drastically soon if women are not encouraged and involved in decision-making.

Less than five journalism schools exist in the Central African nation, and only a small number of women are currently enrolled.

Communications lecturer Dr. Kingsley Ngange said fear from attacks and power grabbing are the two main reasons that push girls away from journalism practice.

Cameroonian women in the media and politics rally to push forth gender justice in the media and politics

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Dr. Josephine Odera fielding in questions from Cameroon journalists on the importance of women in the media and politics.

“Girls fear that they can be arrested and killed like their male counterparts.

They prefer to work in other professions like the military, where safety is guaranteed,” Dr. Ngange added.

A 2010 study by the University of Buea revealed that more women have been recruited into the Cameroon military than journalism.

Delphine Fru is an outspoken female journalist, working for privately owned CRTV. She described the state as a “democratur”— dictatorship regime disguised as a democracy. She added that the future for women in the journalism industry is bleak.

“Men only earn as much as US$60 monthly. This will hardly take you home to feed your children,” the 27-year-old added.

UN Women’s Support UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr. Josephine Odera, said that the media could help address the issue of low participation among women in the region.

put more women in politics, we started the media drive for female participation in all walks of life. For the first time, Cameroon registered a solid 32 percent representation of women in top political positions,” Dr. Odera said.

She added that though the participation remains low, it has improved.

“Dozens of women have taken up positions as parliamentarians and mayors. The few female journalists in Cameroon worked hard to advocate and campaign for their representation,” the official added.

According to Prof. Diffo, now is the time for the female parliamentarians to pay back the very few female journalists by enabling government programs to train, educate and recruit more women in key industries.

Stalled Progress “The media in Cameroon is still largely in the hands of men who have strong political ties to the ruling party”, said Dr. Ngange. The university lecturer added:

“It will be hard to see women to own media.

Women are poorer than men in Cameroon and largely suffer from violence, rape, and other forms of discrimination.

Their voices are too few to influence decision making now.”

Economists in Cameroon said that most women would prefer investing the little money they have in feeding their families and sending their children to good schools.

“Sometimes, women who join the profession had to work and stay for months in a private media organization without pay. That destroys journalism as a profession and scares away most women,” Magang concluded.

“When we did a collaboration to

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Africa - Ethiopia

Internet Gives Alternative Voice for the ‘Very Few’ in Ethiopia Text by Emnet Assefa, Ethiopia

Welcoming the end of April was not easy for 27-year-old blogger Soliyna Gebremichael and her friends. From running a blog about the stifled press freedom in their home country since 2011, it took about three years before her friends were arrested. While most of them accepted the inherent danger of starting a blog, Soliyana didn’t expect it would be this soon.

In 2011, Soliyana and eight of her friends started a blogging group dubbed “Zone 9” with the motto, “We blog because we care.” The project was a reaction to the lack of place for the youth to discuss issues about the future of their country.

The blogging group attracted a growing regular audience by writing about economy, politics, society, and human rights. To date, the group posted 400 blogs that offer a critical perspective on the current affairs of their country.

They also held Twitter campaigns to urge public discussion on issues such as freedom of expression. Their audience is mostly young people with Internet access. Most are from the capital, Addis Ababa, and abroad.

Search for Alternative Space In a country such as Ethiopia, where records of press freedom can worsen from time to time, the very few who have Internet access can discuss issues that are not brought to the attention of the general public by mainstream media.

TV and radio stations are known as the government’s mouthpiece, which

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Internet vs. Mainstream Media Soliyana, who is currently in exile, sees problems in the media consumption habits of the Ethiopian society, especially when they require reading. She pins this as a result of a declining reading culture in the country and the limitation of the press itself to produce good readable news with added value for the readers, which makes broadcast media the most influential source of information in the country.

Over the past years, the Internet evolved into an alternative media platform, “even though the access is limited,” she says.

To date, Internet penetration is limited to the capital and a few regional cities.

According to International Telecommunication Union’s 2013 report,“ measuring the Information Society,” only 1.5 percent of the Ethiopian population had Internet access in 2012, leaving Ethiopia at the bottom, ranking 151st of the total 157 countries.

“Blogging has given a voice to individuals as other opportunities are limited but it’s not utilized well,” said Soliyana.

In recent years, local media and TV started picking up story leads from issues tackled in online communities.

Bloggers and social media users have become more active in reporting and

discussing underreported issues in the state-owned and traditional media, according to Soliyana. Many still fear that the success of alternative press in Ethiopia can soon be nipped in the bud should they face government persecution.

People in Ethiopia feel like their online interaction is being seen and followed.

As a result, many would rather not express their opinions and views,” she says. Internet surveillance and censorship are issues that the Ethiopian government has been criticized for. According to the Human Rights Watch’s report released in March 2014, since 2010, the Ethiopian government has developed a robust and sophisticated Internet and mobile framework to monitor journalists and opposition groups, block access to unwanted websites, and collect evidence for prosecutions in terrorism and other trials.”

Freedom of expression may also deteriorate significantly due to heavy censorship. Ethiopia ranks 143rd out of 180 countries on the annual World Press Freedom Index reported by Reporters Without Borders.

The blog Zone 9 ended when it was taken down in Ethiopia. Most of its founding members are now behind bars. However, exiled members such as Soliyna vowed to continue their call for freedom of speech while fighting for the release of their colleagues and friends.

Facebook

In Ethiopia, the government owns major media outlets, including the only TV station and national radio station.

A handful of others are FM radio stations and newspapers owned by private businessmen. The government is often criticized for tight control and heavy censorship on private media publications and broadcasts.

drove the majority of the population in urban areas to look for alternative and independent media outlets. This spawned alternative blogging and social media sites, much like the site started by Soliyana and her friends.

Asia - Cambodia

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CAmBoDiA’s WAr oF TrADiTionAl AnD soCiAl meDiA Text and picture by Veng Rachana, Cambodia

Some of Cambodia’s traditional media are losing their audience in Phnom Penh as more people turn to the Internet and Facebook for critical news and information.

National media outlets including newspaper, radio and television organizations, are percieved to ally with the ruling Cambodian People Party (CPP).

“In the 2008 national elections, CPP managed to effectively shape public opinions through these with traditional formats,” said Theara Khoun, a research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP).

Khoun claimed that partisan information and post-traumatic mentality resulted from continuous civil wars in 1979, 1993, and 1997 that made Cambodians fearful and indifferent to their country’s political situation.

“With the mainstream media being manipulated by CPP during the 2008 polls, CPP won via a landslide victory, weakening other opposition parties,” he said.

The Rise of Social Media Months before last year’s election, many Cambodians began to break out of their culture of fear, silence and political ignorance. Khoun said they embraced civic engagement.

Cambodians started using social media, especially Facebook. Armed with their online freedom, they now use social media to express their concerns about social issues such as attacks to human rights, land grabbing and the government’s abuse of power. Many also participated in the opposition’s demonstrations against the ruling party.

The rise of social media weakened traditional media, which failed to report on sensitive social issues.

In 2013, some 3 million people in the country have access to the Internet.

Just recently, the number of mobile subscribers in the country topped 20 million, according to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication.

He continued, “If the same human right abuse cases happen again and again, we don’t report it. We only report the new cases.”

Narin Sun, online manager of Voice of Democracy (VoD), a local radio station in Cambodia that reports on corruption and human rights abuses in the country, said based on anecdotal reports, more people are listening to VoD’s report online than from the radio.

The newspaper, according to Nguon, was not run to advocate for human rights or other issues, but to satisfy its readership. He claimed Cambodian readers preferred entertaining stories or those related to their everyday life.

“Many people just access our news online, especially when we share it on Facebook. They like the online version because they can both read and listen,” said Sun, who added VoD’s plan to fully run its operations online if more people have Internet access by 2030.

He noted that this phenomenon seriously poses a threat to traditional media, especially newspapers.

“When something happens, they can read the news and see photos or videos on Facebook immediately after the event, so many of them don’t read the newspaper anymore,” he said.

National newspapers rarely reported those sensitive issues, making their audience gradually lose interest in the medium. This was evident especially after the 2013’ national elections when interest for political news was high.

Changes in Traditional Media During the elections, when civic engagement increased as evidenced by their social media use, Sun noticed several newspapers and television networks started reporting on human rights abuse and opposition parties’ demonstrations, though there was still much room for improvement in terms of objectivity and news quality.

A few months before the elections, more people started sharing news about politics and human rights on social media. They became both an active audience and content provider who posted news, photos, and videos of events they witnessed.

Nguon maintained that despite the increasing number of social media users, Cambodian readers still supported his newspaper. He said:

“The circulation of Reaksmey Kampuchea before and after the election is the same.”

Nguon recognized that if more Cambodians will use social media for their news consumption in the next five years, this poses a threat to traditional media.

“To survive, we need to improve the quality of our reporting by writing more in-depth pieces,” he said. “Our content must be more detailed and different from what is shared via social media.”

“The stories are still biased and support only one side but at least they started covering those sensitive issues,” he said.

“It is a good and welcome change.”

Serath Nguon, polictical editor of Reaksmey Kampuchea, Cambodia’s biggest local daily, said, “Our newspaper also reports some of those political issues but we have to acknowledge that our staff ’s capacity is still limited.”

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hoW Do YoU imAgine The FUTUre oF JoUrnAlism?

Text by Saltana El Jazouli , Morocco

Bianca from USA

Data-driven reporting will be even more popular in the coming years. The power of deciding what stories should to produce is slowly leaving the control of journalists, because data from social sharing shows what audiences want to see, and publishers follow their lead.

Cinthia from Nicaragua Traditional media outlets will realize they need to go back to basics in order to succeed. Newsrooms will prioritize accuracy instead of speed, and that will help our profession to regain trust from the audiences. A good story is a good story, regardless of the format you end up presenting it in.

The lines between journalism and communication and between journalism and activism are more and more blurred.

In the future, journalists should define their role in society and be more transparent in their work process in order to create a relationship based on trust between themselves and their readers.

Marine from France

Ivo from Cameroon

Low wages, high cost of production and censorship are the most common problems journalists face. If Africa needs to develope strong democratic principles we need journalists who would hold the governement to account without fear.

Anna from Philippines

The future of journalism will be shaped by a strong collaboration between trained journalists, data scientists, and content generators such as citizen journalists. The exciting part is the evolution of journalism from silos of expertise such as print, radio, TV and online to one that is more integrated.

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