Orange Magazine 2015 - DW GMF by Orange Magazine

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MEDIA & FOREIGN POLICY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

EDITORIAL

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CONVERGING IN DIGITAL

Newsrooms in today’s digital age are at a crossroads of reconciling content, technology, and audience experience. New digital tools enhance the practice of journalism while at the same time adding disruptive social and mobile elements that impact how stories are produced, distributed, and consumed. Media convergence is at its full bloom and innovations in digital storytelling are happening both in well-oiled mainstream commercial outfits as well as grassroots and independent organisations.

Editor-in-Chief Anna Valmero, Philippines Assistant Editor Triin Ilves, Estonia Design / Illustration Melody Da Fonseca, France Photographers Lilit Karapetyan, Armenia Ahmad Al-Bazz, Palestine

As digital technologies and the Internet made possible the democratization and global reach of content, as well as the sometimes, blurring lines of journalism and activism, information highways are increasingly challenged by tighter deadlines and budget cuts, data pollution from unverified, click-bait pieces, rising propaganda to manipulate a country’s international image, and continued issues of security and access. In the middle of all these developments, relevance is one of the key risks faced by journalism today.

Writers Vida Taing, Cambodia Anna Romandash, Ukraine Kamilia Lahrichi, Morocco/Argentina Marina Shupac, Moldova Kourosh Ziabari, Iran Dmitri Romanovski, Moldova

staying loyal to the audience

But this risk does not encompass which print, radio, TV or online media will survive in the future. In one form or another, media business models will continue to evolve. As the audience and reach for media organisations become global, there is an increasing need for journalists to remain loyal and committed to the task of telling stories that reflect the best possible truth so that the audience can better understand the subject of foreign policies and how everyone is part of a global village that transcend national boundaries. At the end of the day, it is not a journalist’s job to influence policy but to stay loyal to its audience. And that requires the practice of core journalism values of balance, fairness, accuracy and context. That is the only way to make sure that the content we deliver can be of value to our audience. This edition of Orange Magazine will discuss the interplay between media and foreign policy from sessions at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum sessions and country stories from Palestine to Ukraine, and Brazil to Estonia through diverse perspectives from our team of young journalists.

Multimedia Hallie Haller, Taiwan/South Africa Felipe Camara, Brazil Salome Modebadze, Georgia Gabrielle Nina Mitch, Democratic Republic of Congo Julia Mardeusz, Poland Writings and comments of any contributor do not necessarily reflect that of Orange Magazine.

Anna Valmero Philippines

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European Youth Press The European Youth Press (EYP) is an umbrella organisation for young journalists in Europe. The EYP reaches more than 60,000 young journalists across Europe with 25 member organisations and several working groups, forming a solid volunteer and professional infrastructure. It is a democratic, non-profit organisation founded and managed by young media makers all between 20 and 30 years of age. The European Youth Press aims to enable young people to give voice to their opinion on issues in their country and how it relates to the global media landscape by providing access to attend and cover global conferences. Orange Magazine Orange Magazine was a journal founded by the European Youth Press in 2004. It caters to an international audience of English readers to address the gap of limited content produced by young Europeans that can be shared with youth outside the region. It is available in both print and online editions. All print and online editions of Orange Magazine are published on www. orangemagazine.eu, with PDF copies of print issues available for download, too. Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum is an annual gathering of media practitioners hosted by the international broadcasting company and longtime partner of the European Youth Press and Orange Magazine. Powered by

4 UKRAINE’S BATTLE AGAINST PROPAGANDA IN NEWS 6 TAIWAN NETIZENS FIND VOICE TO AIR NATIONALISM ONLINE 8 FOUR LESSONS FROM COVERING POST- AND FROZEN CONFLICTS 12 SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISTS UNCOVER THE STORY BEHIND GAZA WARS 22 FINDING FAIR NEWS ONLINE IN IRAN’S MONOPOLIZED MEDIA

26 YOUTH OPEN DISCUSSIONS ON CAMBODIA’S DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

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Q&A

STAY OBJECTIVE! being independent from the government is the luxury public

media has. ukraine is a prominent example where many strong broadcasters were developed as the country was pulled into a

revolution. as they cover the war and politics, the organisations undergo transformation while struggling with the standards set

by competing bigger channels.

orange interviewed natalka

humeniuk from hromadske tv,

ukraine’s public broadcaster on the situation with independent media in the country.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for the public broadcasters in Ukraine? The first challenge is definitely financing. In Ukraine, there are many oligarchic media which are funded by tycoons. We need money to produce quality content and pose as an alternative to them. However, with the current situation, it’s hard to expect a lot of funds from the viewers because they already crowdfund the army. Another challenge is the war. Ukrainian journalists are not prepared to it although they try hard to cover military events. The third difficulty is the general exhaustion with the negative news. During Euromaidan, people could watch television for hours, but now, they are getting tired of war. So, it is very difficult for us to make the audience watch public media as much as it used to. The fourth challenge is the information war on the Russian side. There are many fake news, and it is complicated to check all the facts. Q: In Ukraine, could public broadcasters become a viable alternative to commercial channels? They should, because it’s the only chance they have. Looking at the European experience, the countries which have independent public broadcasters also have a strong democracy. Thus, public media serves as a guarantee for democratic development. Q: Is it possible to get sustainable funding from the public? This can be done when the broadcasters get the money directly from taxpayers. However, voluntary donations are rare. You can get the funding for some projects or programs, but usually the sums would not cover the entire channel. However, there is a successful American model where people fund the public broadcasters they like, so it may work in other places. Q: How do we regulate public media? There have to be professional agreements, not governmental regulations. For instance, Hromadske.TV nowfaces a difficult situation when we try to get exemption for the satellite licensing. Thanks to laws, the commercial and state media have the exemptions, but we don’t. So we have to pay for every license which prevents us from reaching bigger audiences. Thus, too many regulations affect us negatively, so we need professional rules instead. Q: How are you planning to compete with big media organizations? We do not need to compete with them because we have different goals. Our aim is to serve the society;and commercial media work to make money. We operate in different frameworks - they are not politicallypressured, but they still work for their owners. Anna Romandash Ukraine 4

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UKRAINE’S BATTLE AGAINST PROPAGANDA IN NEWS in the conflict of information manipulation between russia, ukraine strikes back.

For a long time, countries have used information manipulation to promote their agenda in controversial conflicts. In a way, the Russian occupation in Ukraine started long before the military actions. It began with TV propagandas, says Andrei Illariaonov, an economist who worked as Putin’s adviser from 2000 to 2005. “Russian spin-doctors were very active during the Orange revolution in 2004 promoting pro-Kremlin politicians in the growing conflict,” adds Illarionov who left Russia and is known today as one of Putin’s critics. An Information Ministry So far, the Ukrainian authorities have failed to provide an adequate response to the information war against the country. In December 2014, the government launched the Information Ministry as an attempt to portray Ukraine in good light in foreign media. Journalists criticized the move who fears of the government’s intrusion into free media. “There is a risk of Ministry controlling journalists, but there were no such attempts so far,” says Euhen Fedchenko, co-founder of the website StopFake that exposes falsified information in the current crisis. He believes that Ministry has a big potential to create regulations that could simplify the media sphere and protect Ukrainians from harmful

influence of Russian propaganda. Fedchenko points out that Ukraine’s authorities have failed to promote the country’s agenda. “While Russian ambassadors abroad keep on organizing events to promote Russian policies, Ukraine officials do nothing on that matter,” he says, suggesting that the

Vedrin says the majority of EU citizens perceive Russia as a country with strong military and economy, which prevent European politicians from responding to Russian threats effectively. After a year of war, the EU has developed a working strategy aimed against faked facts.

“The Ministry has to give these people quality information -- the only way to battle propaganda.” new Ministry can promote Ukraine to EU officials. Today, the Ministry has banned Russian state-channels and forbidden pro-Kremlin journalists from accreditation in Ukraine, although it should have been done a long time ago, said Olivier Vedrine, political expert and European Commission spokesman. “Russia has many useful idiots in the West who represent nationalist or radical leftist parties,”says the expert.

“They promote Putin as well as create the image he wants.” Factual proof

“Showing the real state of things in Russia puts many things into perspective,”Vedrin explains, “this way, people no longer fear Russia, but see themselves as a powerful force against its authorities.” David Herzhenhorn, who covers Ukrainian and Russian news in The New York Times, offers a similar solution for the current information crisis. “For Western journalists to work in Ukraine, they need to have access to trusted commentators and officials, so they can provide people with fair new. Honest information is the only tool to deal with fake or biased information.”

Anna Romandash Ukraine

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TAIWAN NETIZENS FIND A VOICE FOR NATIONALISM ONLINE citizens of taiwan take advantage of electronic media to determine their sovereignty and affect the country’s relations with china.

2015 marks the sixty-sixth year since Martial Law was imposed over Taiwan. Just over a year ago the Sunflower Movement brought the island’s democracy under international scrutiny. The repercussions of the movement are still reverberating throughout Taiwan, a society shaken by a technology-based civil uprising last year.

“As a site for evaluating the emergence and survival of a feedback-driven, participatory, digital democracy, Taiwan is a good choice,” author Ben Goren notes, on The University of Nottingham’s China Policy Institute Blog. Foreign backing for China Beyond propaganda, some consider China’s effort to undermine Taiwan’s independence extends beyond propaganda and into systematic isolation on the international stage. Countries

cannot have diplomatic ties with both Taiwan and China. Most countries opt out of relations with Taiwan in favour of maintaining a more pleasant relationship with the growing economic and military power that is China. As a result, Taiwan only has twentytwo diplomatic allies recognizing its sovereignity. Dogmatically enforcing the One-China policy, Beijing also excludes Taiwan from the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and a myriad of other international organizations under the premise that Taiwan’s participation would legitimise its country status. “The whole environment of foreign governments’ reluctance to put Taiwan in the spotlight, whether it’s academia or traditional media is very much stacked in Beijing’s favor,” states journalist J. Michael Cole. “One way that you can work around that form of isolation is traditional media and increasingly nontraditional media.” Digital action Civilians turned to digital media in 2014, riled by Ma Ying-jeou’s underhanded attempt to pass the Cross Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) and frustrated by traditional media’s disinterest in addressing citizens’ contempt for the Taiwan-China trade pact. “Once the internet voice appeared, traditional media followed,” says Longson Chang, chief of volunteers at Dr. Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation and supporter of the

Sunflower protests. While traditional media was reporting on the minor property damage resulting from student occupation, Sunflower Movement activists were using Ustream to post live videos of the protests. Taking cues from the “I am a Ukranian” Youtube videos, Taiwan protesters produced their own in Chinese, English and Japanese languages to reach tens of thousands of viewers. Based on the Sunflower Movement, one can observe Taiwanese society’s strong position on the issue of unification with China. Taiwan Braintrust’s 2015 census revealed that 90 percent of the population identify themselves as Taiwan nationals and that 68 percent recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state independent from China. The platform g0v.tw, used during the Sunflower Movement, continues to be a popular platform to assist civil engagement. A number of citizen-run websites also raised awareness on the CSSTA issue. On social movement on digital platforms, Cole says: “I have much more confidence today of Taiwan’s resilience. This is where I see the Taiwanese all coming together. This is where the new civic nationalism has emerged.”The Sunflower protesters set a precedent in Taiwan. Utilising digital platforms to network and mobilize, the people pressured the government into employing what Lagon and Grebowsky might describe as “a more nimble, realistic foreign-policy that requires diplomacy with civil society.” Hallie Haller Taiwan

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E-DIPLOMACY STARRING ESTONIA’S TECH-SAVVY PRESIDENT a president

sharing sharp

remarks on

twitter about foreign topics stands out

Everything related to e-diplomacy makes Estonians usually proud. As the country ardent to mark itself as an e-country, a tweeting president seems to strengthen the brand. With over 56,000 followers president Toomas Hendrik Ilves (@ IlvesToomas) has built a significant audience who follows his witty response on today’s relevant issues.

with ERR, Tarand noted that Ilves as the best known Estonian figurehead abroad, is dominating the promotion of Estonia’s foreign policy agenda.

In Estonia, freedom of speech is nothing new. A president who personally tweets is another story. The country’s leader often types 140-character updates that stir controversy, and locals think this might not be the best way to handle international policies.

Social media for politicians

Spontaneous remarks

An annual survey by BursonMarsteller noted that Ilves is the most active EU leader on Twitter.

It showed how political figures such as a president - whose manners are usually guided by proto-cols to best represent the state - can enjoy the same right to air bold comments as any ordinary citizen, noted Catlyn Kirna, the international relations lecturer at Tallinn University. Not everybody shared this tolerance towards the president’s outbursts. Earlier this year, political analyst Ahto Lobjakas questioned in an interview to Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) whether one could develop a meaningful and intellectual foreign policy discussion with 140 characters. Indrek Tarand, an independent member of the European Parliament, has also critisized the president for being too forward in his statement. In an interview 7

The real problem, according to Kirna, lies in the overall lack of a clear foreign agenda and unnecessary controversy.

While 56,000 followers pale in comparison to US President Barack Obama (@BarackObama)’s 60.6 million followers, the main difference lies is that the Estonian president manages his own personal account.

In 2012 the New York Times’economist Paul Krugman blogged that he’s unimpressed by Estonia’s recovery after the Soviet Union fell. Ilves replied with various bold comments that later in-spired the composer Eugene Birman and journalist Scott Diel to turn it into a “financial opera.”

Triin Ilves Estonia

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FOUR LESSONS FROM COVERING POST- AND FROZEN CONFLICTS media leaders singled out the major impediments for journalists in conflict and post-conflict zones at the

2015 deutsche welle global media forum on june 22nd at the world conference center in bonn.

A Frozen Conflict is Still a Conflict Globally, the media’s interest in a war tends to wane when a new conflict erupts – notwithstanding the on-going violence, as it is the case in Syria today. “Frozen conflict is not frozen for those experiencing it,” read a Tweet during the conference.

context to empower the public opinion. “Although it has been 40 years, it is still important today to give time for the news to explain the background of a conflict,” said Sokha Cheang, Chief of Staff at The Phnom Penh Post, in reference to the Cambodian civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1975. If journalists do not report properly on the past, they will generate future challenges for generations to come, he added. “Mainstream Media Do Not Want the Real Issue” Any reporter depends on the whims of his or her editor. In this regard, the mainstream media will shape priorities.

“Frozen conflict is not frozen for those experiencing it”

A forgotten war remains a conflict, said Asiem El Difreoui, researcher at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. Although the term refers to a status quo in which the end of violence led to a de facto regime, in reality there is not any alternative political framework between the conflict’s parties. In Iraq, for instance, there are still everyday conflicts because of poor governance, noted Dana Asaad, Director of Media Academy Iraq.

“When we try to make our stories global, we are forced to over-simplify the issue because [editors] want to fit it in a simple narrative,” explained Denis Dzidic, Deputy Editor for the Justice Report Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The rule also stands for the Middle East – a complex, multi-ethnic region is covered poorly by many journalists.

Devoting Time to Explaining a War During wartime, journalists bear responsibility to shed light on the

“Today, Egypt is out of focus and under covered [...] although it is not doing well,” said Mr. Asiem El Difraoui, mentioning a situation where he was once invited to speak on the radio about the ongoing violence in Egypt, but the host ended up asking him questions about the Islamic State – or ISIS. Overcoming Propaganda by the Dispute’s Participants Stakeholders try to dominate the discourse through media propaganda during a war. This also occurs in post-conflict societies in a subtler way. While the motto “one color, one opinion, one ideology” may have applied in the Iraqi media before 2003, hundreds of media outlets rushed into the country afterwards, said Mr. Asaad. Every single party had their news outlets, but the lack of people gave the opportunity for those with no journalistic background. This lack of training created a fertile ground for media propaganda, added he. Kamilia Lahrichi Argentina/Morroco

Page 9 Argentine woman holding a sign referring to CNN and the media corporation Clarin in Argentina, to denounce misinformation by mainstream media.Protest in front of the Congress in Buenos Aires. Kamilia Lahrichi, March 1, 2015.

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DW GLOBAL MEDIA FORUM CALLS FOR PRESS FREEDOM’S PROTECTION Limited press freedom and plurality are the two main challenges that media must address in this digital age, according to media experts at the 2015 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum opening session in Bonn. “Sadly, the wide majority of the world population lives without a free press,” said Peter Limbourg, Director General of Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. According to the report by Reporters Without Borders’ 2015, there has been a “drastic” deterioration of press freedom globally. Wars, censorship, and the economic downturn have contributed to silence independent media. “Quality journalism is becoming increasingly difficult to implement,” added Mr. Limbourg, noting the limited budgets and often, lack of knowledge on local history and context of countries where today’s biggest headlines come from. As armed conflicts are spreading across the globe, governments have muzzled free media to redefine the discussion. The keyboard is as powerful as the weapon in the current war raging between Russia and Ukraine. There has been an information warfare following pro-Russian forces’ occupation of Crimea to influence Western media in favour of one side of the fighting, he noted.

In addition, “we are witnessing a renaissance of cynical propaganda,” said Limbourg. Emblematic of this disinformation, the Islamic State (ISIS) has launched a sophisticated digital media campaign to disseminate information online to recruit massive Islamic supporters. In addition, data privacy is an inherent challenge that people face in today’s connected world, said Prof. Monika Grütters, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media of Germany. The three-day event gathers international journalists, politicians, business and non-governmental organizations, leaders as well as academics. More than 120 countries are represented and almost 2,000 participants are attending the conference. Under the banner “Media and Foreign Policy in the Digital Age,” participants will discuss how modern technology is impacting international affairs in the 21st century. Kamilia Lahrichi Argentina/Morroco

SAFETY TRAINING VITAL FOR JOURNALISTS IN CONFLICT ZONES Journalists reporting on sensitive issues like conflict can cover issues without any bias and remain safe. Staying safe is essential to remain in the trade, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic. During the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum’s plenary session on “Foreign policy in 140 characters,” Mijatovic urged international organizations to engage more with associations that promote safety training for journalists as more journalists get killed in the field. Without journalists, no one would know what is happening in remote parts of the world. In tandem with safety training, journalists should equip themselves with good investigative skills to report and reflect the right context for the story. Stressing the important role of social media in reaching the audience with constructive dialogue, OSCE representative said Twitter and Facebook are extra tools that journalists can use to engage their audience with intellectual discussion. While there are privacy issues associated with the digital age, the official said “We have to embrace it and used to for the benefits.” Salome Modebadze Georgia

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LEARNING TO TAKE A STAND IN THE DIGITAL AGE brazilians harness the power of social media during the 2013 protests

For the first time since the protests of 1992 against President Fernando Collor, Brazilians staged street rallies just moments away of the FIFA Confederations Cup. A wave of protests engulfed the entire country, gathering more than one million people. People went to the streets and protested the about the bus fare hike of 20 cents Brazilian real (about 5 eurocents). As the police brutality against civilian protesters are broadcasted live, people - no longer glued to their TV screens - started to organise online via Facebook groups following the example from the Arab Spring protests. Renato Sérgio de Lima, sociologist and member of the Brazilian Forum of Public Safety told news website R7 on June 2013 that the protests manifest a strong dissatisfaction of how the government runs things. For Brazilians, the fare hike was a strong symbol for corruption that both rich and poor had to endure everyday—paying high taxes while getting poor services and overpriced construction of stadiums in areas where football is not a main sport. Social Media as Catalyst “Many protests at that time seemed spontaneous, and the information reach and speed of social media were key elements to mobilise the population in a short time,”

said social media expert Natalia Weber. “It went viral. The act of staging rallies to demand change that was once connected only to political parties and student groups became a movement for everyone.” People also used social media to share “real information” on what is really happening around the country that is left unreported in mainstream media. Like in most countries, while the Brazilian press enjoys freedom, business owners still control how news is presented.

A distorted reality? “The World saw what happened in Brazil in 2013 and today, it continues to happen but in a minor scale. Before the protests, Brazil had a distorted positive image to the world that we are a developing nation and a safe country for investment,” noted Garritano. Winning the right to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 even boosted this “distorted image” of the country, he added.

“It seemed that some change would really happen in Brazil. Even when the Gondar government said that only the rich are protesting,”noted Gondar, “you can see that everyone regardless of color or economic class went to the streets to say, ‘Enough’.”

“That positive image was, in part, an illusion. When the international media covered the protests, that didn’t help Brazil’s economic image, but at least, it showed how it really is,” added Garritano.

Fast forward to 2015, monthly protests against the current administration are happening on Sundays.

“The government is still figuring out how to communicate with the population and the press through social media. That is important because the press needs that agility in information delivery,” added Garritano.

‘Enough !’

Some protesters call for the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff who stands in the middle of the biggest corruption case in Brazil’s history: a case of 88 Billions Brazilian Real stolen from public oil company Petrobras. Interestingly, the Brazilian government is also learning to use social media to build a dialogue with the population, especially on Twitter and Facebook, said TV anchor Mario Garritano of BNB News. 11

Felipe Camara Brazil

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SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISTS UNCOVER THE STORY BEHIND GAZA WARS in the middle of the 2014 israeli

offensive in palestine, social media

A few months after the crisis, nine European parliaments including France, Spain, Portugal, and Luxembourg called for the recognition of Palestine as a state. This has been described as a “nightmare for Israeli,” according to former director general at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alon Liel.

activists tell the developing story in

“I might die tonight.” This was one of the tweets of teenage social media activist Farah Baker (@Farah_Gazan on Twitter) during the height of the Gaza offensive in 2014. The words caused a stir on social media, with a growing number of people (which grew from 800 to 175,000) following her updates during the 51-say offensive. Baker posted the tweets from her house located a few meters away from the largest hospital in Gaza, Shifa hospital. Bloody history Israeli offensives on Gaza strip occurred in 2008, 2012, and 2014, which came to be known as Gaza Wars. Gaza is Palestinian district with 1.8 million inhabitants living under Israeli occupation since 1967 and under a strict siege by Israel since 2007. These made it as “the world’s largest outdoor prison.” Such events motivated Palestinians movements to improve their military capabilities over the last decade to fight Israel back. Israel tried to curb the Palestinian armed resistance by three offensives. The last one in 2014 resulted in 2,131 dead Palestinians, including 1,473 civilians and 501 children, according to a UN report. It left 18,000 homes destroyed and 11,0000 people displaced. On the side of Israel, 66 soldiers and four civilians got killed.

tweets and social media updates.

New tools New media technologies were effective tools for journalists and online activists who started to publish photographs, videos, and updates in Gaza. To help curate the content online, they used hashtags such as #GazaUnderAttack. Anne Paq, a French photographer with Activestills collective and social media activist, also used social media to report on what’s happening in the place. She is based in Palestine and Israel since 2003.

It is worth mentioning that many governments took action to pressure Israel to comply with international law and human rights after news of its offensive on Gaza were broadcasted.

During the 51-day offensive, Paq published many photographs with alternative news websites in many languages. She also updated her Twitter and Facebook accounts. For her, there is a difference between mainstream media and new media activists. “The main difference is that I am engaged with the community I am documenting. We are not far, or just passing by. We keep coming back and build over the years special links with people and the place.” Ongoing protests The accumulated messages form news outlets and social media pushed people to protest in key cities around the world - from London to Cape Town to Tehran - to show solidarity with Gaza.

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Journalists as targets

Responsibility in new media

Since 2014, the Israeli suppression of journalists and social media activists has increased significantly. A total of 17 journalists have been killed in Gaza in 2014, with 77 wounded in Gaza and West Bank, and 32 arrested. In addition, 16 media houses have been shelled by Israeli air strikes, 16 journalists’ houses destroyed while 73 have been suppressed by Israeli forces with beat, rubber bullets and tear gas, according to human rights and democracy media centre SHAMS.

Orange Magazine asked Manuela Römer, a German media consultant and trainer at An-Najah National University in Palestine, about the possibility of foreign policy reform as a result of the protests resulting from news and social media coverage on the issue. She answered, “It is possible.”

Israel is currently detaining 20 Palestinian journalists, according to the Palestinian Journalists’Syndicate. Some of them were in jail since 1994 under “Israeli’s administrative detention law”.

She added: “Speaking from the perspective of a media user who wants to see (the whole picture), social media provided extra information.

“Traditional media have governing bodies and code of conducts or ethical codices that guarantee some standard. But nobody can be obliged to use traditional media and today, young people prefer social media as their source of information. Therefore, some activism towards making social media more reliable would be helpful in tandem with education on media use,” Manuela Römer

Nevertheless, I see a general threat of misusing social media for propaganda and the difficulty of verifying information.”

Ahmad Al-Bazz Palestine

“I might die tonight.” Farah Baker

(@Farah_Gazan - Twitter)

on the picture

Rani Burnat, a Palestinian social media activist with disability, runs from tear gas canisters shot by Israeli soldiers during the weekly protest against occupation in Bil’in village. West Bank, Palestine, June 08 2012.

read the full story at orangemagazine.eu

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Travel time

documents that we must hold:

1_ A Passport

From 6 hours, up to 18-20 hours

documents you have to

take/fill during the travel:

*distance:

1_A Palestinian travel number.

2_Palestinian ID

2_An Israeli stamp document

3_Israeli permit

(serves as a substitute for

4_Jordanian card

stamp in trevel document).

(green/yellow)

costs (one way)

3_A Pledge for Jordan to

explain your purpose of visit

100$

68KM

and how long will you stay.

(From Nablus to

From Nablus, Palestine

Jordanian airport)

to Amman, Jordan (68KM - flight distance).

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JOURNALIST HOPES FOR BETTER POLICIES ON TRAVEL

A Palestine journalist’s journey to DW GMF 2015

For Palestine journalist Ahmad, AlBazz, his journey to the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum is an adventure on its own with the travel longer hours, longer cues and waiting times, and a list of documents longer than most. He shares below the current challenge for journalists who need to cover events outside their country. Since the Palestinian West Bank is under Israeli military occupation, Palestinians do not have their own airport nor can they can travel with their own cars. All Palestinian vehicles cannot go outside their national borders. This is why Palestinians are forced to travel to Jordan via the Jordanian airport (Queen Alia Airport) for international flights, or to Jordanian bus stations for travel to a nearby country. Due to the current occupation, Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza cannot use the Israeli airport although it is very close to most of the Palestinian cities with a 30-minute car ride. Trivia: According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are 542 obstacles to movement inside the West Bank. These include: military checkpoints, roadblocks, military gates and other. Sometimes, the Israeli forces erect flying checkpoints in the main roads. These checkpoint make land travel longer for Palestinians who are going to to the Border station in Jericho city.

When you’re a Middle Eastern traveling in Europe, you’ll have serious challenges wherever you go. Ahmad Al-Bazz, the Palestinian journalist and photographer whom I later joined during the Global Media Forum in Bonn told me that in addition to the visa appointment and appearing for an interview at the German representative office in Ramallah – there are no foreign embassies in the Occupied Territories, where he lives – he should have obtained an entry permit to enter the city of Jerusalem from the Israeli authorities.

90 mins: from Nablus city to Palestinian border station in Jericho city

120 mins: at the Palestinian border station

45 mins: at the Israeli military gate at the entrance of Jericho, checking passengers and changing bus.

15 mins: another Israeli checking of the bus at another military gate. 3.5 hours: waiting in the bus outside the Israeli border station, going inside the station, and leaving it with another bus.

“Palestinians have to ask Israel for permit to enter the city of Jerusalem. Usually, they get an eight-hour permit for the appointment purpose,” he said. So, it’s like an 8-hour leave from the barracks where you’re serving as a conscript, which will not be valid after the expiration time. If the Israeli law enforcement officials caught Ahmad or his fellow citizens while walking around with an invalid “entry permit,” they could simply arrest them, or if they were kind, they could impose a penalty. “To obtain an Israeli permit, we have to submit many documents and wait for many days until the permit is issued. It’s not odd if somebody were refused; therefore, they have to find a way to pass through the separation wall by climbing it or through [digging] a hole in it. In this case, a Palestinian might ask help from trafficker, who usually asks for $90.” People from our part of the world wait for weeks, even months to receive a single-entry visa. It is a routine we’re used to in this part of the world but one that we hope to change.

2 hours: at the Jordanian border station.

Kourosh Ziabari

90 mins: from the Jordanian border

Iran

station to the Jordanian Airport (Queen Alia airport).

6 hours waiting at the jordanian airport (since I arrived there much earlier).

4.5 hours: the flight from Amman to Frankfurt.

45 mins: taking the luggage and waiting for the train. 2.5 hours: from Frankfurt to Bonn. 15

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MEDIA SUMMIT PANEL DEBATE HOW CAN MEDIA EVOLVE AND REMAIN ELEVANT IN THIS DIGITAL AGE ? the digital age provided new tools for storytelling and new ways of distribution and collaboration with audiences for producing

content. but along the way, the very power of digital media tools that gave everyone publishing rights also posed limitations and challenges to the media.

On top of this, newsrooms struggle with tight budgets and even tighter deadlines while battling for ratings and clicks. So how should newsrooms of the future evolve? Veteran journalists from international media weighed in on these questions at the media summit panel debate. Regardless of medium or platform, it is a journalist’s job to preserve the values of the journalism: fairness, balance, verification, and context—old traditional values than seem to be more important than ever. In terms of audience’s role in creating and shaping content, defining what is newsworthy follows that newsrooms have good teams to sniff stories that are brewing in the radar, like content on the ground from social media users. Embracing collaboration and convergence is crucial in digital media, while at the same time, there is a strong need to

perform better mechanisms for factchecking and verification, and of course, the need to move beyond deadlines. A sample case was the coverage of the Arab Spring. One oversight of international media crews was the lack of reportage outside the capitol protests. With too much focus inside the capitol, everyone was shocked about the election results because they do not understand the context of the voting of majority of people who lived in the capitol’s outskirts, according to the panel.

Anna Valmero Philippines

Richard Porter, Editorial and Digital Director, BBC Global News “I do not think it is our job to influence foreign policy. The purpose is to increase audience understanding and it is up to audience to decide what to do with the information. It is our job to report. “ Andreas Zumach, Tageszeitung, Switzerland “We must be aware that de facto reporting means we already put a pressure on politicians. But beyond timeliness, journalists can revisit for follow up stories and always strive to add context.” Annika Nyberg Frankenhauser, media director of the European Broadcasting Union “On which to choose between speed vs depth during coverage, both are essential news elements. Speed promotes competition but never forget there the audience for good journalism.“

Max Hofmann, Brussels Bureau Chief, Deutsche Welle:

Katrin Sandmann, war correspondent, Germany

“In the tradition of good journalism, newsrooms should not be afraid of losing the audience to other content distributors. The audience will still gravitate toward stories that are crafted with balance, verification, good research, and multi-sourced perspectives.”

“Social media allows people to describe events as they happen but the lack of training means there is minimal analysis on posts as well. They are helpful to alert journalists and they add local context so use on-the-ground information but verify facts.”

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ORANGE MAGAZINE

LESSONS FROM ARMENIA’S PAST

and exhaust all possible means to inform populations of the event.

The reference of Pope Francis to 1915 mass killings as “the first genocide of the 20th century” during a liturgy on April 12, 2015 brought global attention on the issue. Reality-show star Kim Kardashian’s visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex was posted on Instagram and Twitter bringing attention to in armenia, people explore the issue for her 37 ways to create more million followers.

A century ago, 1.5 million people were killed in Ottoman dialogue and discussions Turkey. A hundred Even rock music lovers on the country’s past. years later on April had a chance to learn 24, 2015 Armenia, about the Armenian Armenians marked the centenary of Genocide from System of a Down’s the genocide, demanding that the concert in Yerevan on the eve people of today never forget the of the commemoration day that lessons from the country’s bloody was broadcasted live by Rolling history. Stones. The band members, who are all descendants of genocide According to the official website survivors, wanted to share the of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of message that “genocides are Armenia, genocide recognition is still happening whether you use one of the important pillars of the the word genocide, holocaust or foreign policy of Armenia. After humanitarian catastrophe.” 100 years, the Turkish government still refuses to recognize the mass killings as genocide because it was not planned. Information from reports at that time - by various diplomats, missionaries and military generals, as well as extensive media coverage of the events by leading newspapers disprove such claims. In 1915, only The New York Times reported on the issue in 145 articles. Nonetheless, the genocide issue went unnoticed by many governments due to strong political rela-tions between Ottoman Turkey and other countries. The limits faced by media limited the need for a more comprehensive coverage of the issue. With today’s digital media tools available today, Armenians took advantage of the centenary’s events

“We want the recognition of the first genocide of the 20th century to be the renewal of confidence that humanity can stop killing itself,” said the frontman of the band Serj Tankian.

International press coverage of these events brought the world’s attention on the 1915 genocide and a better understanding of Armenia’s past. Statistics showed a 160% rise in Google search regarding the phrases “Armenian Genocide” and “Armenia” during 18

the period of media coverage. Small independent media outfits offered valuable impact as well. “Survivors,” a photo project by awarded photojournalist Nazik Armenakyan, documented the lives of the people who have survived the Armenian Genocide. The photos showed the survivors holding pictures taken at their youth. Armenakyan notes the need to organize commemoration events not only during the month of the centennial, but all year round. “I have noticed that Armenians from all over the world were very active in social media during the events. There was a powerful force that connected us all to our identity,” Nazik Armenakyan added. A young filmmaker and the coordinator of Armenian-Turkish platform within “Golden Apricot” international film festival Gor Baghdasaryan noted the media played a vital role to invite discussion on the topic. “Media is important in helping formulate perception and public discussion on the genocide for both the Armenian and Turkish population. As we know, the official Turkish me-dia asserts the government’s position, which shape public opinion,” said Baghdasaryan. This is why, Baghdasaryan noted, it is important to hold modest attempts such as col-laborative film project he helps co-manage to shed light and invite discussions on sensi-tive topics such as the Armenian genocide. “Alternative platforms such as films help create a venue for alternative opinions within the society. The project fuels discussion and dialogue on the controversial topic, which 15 years ago would seem impossible.” Lilit Karapetyan Armenia

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Q&A

WHEN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MEET LGBT RIGHTS

One of the main global promoters of LGBT rights is the US. American leaders recognize LGBT rights as the next battlefield in the global struggle for human rights as shown by Obama’s Memorandum in 2011 to advance the human rights of LGBT persons abroad. The European Union has a similar stance. The EU External Action Service invests its diplomatic efforts to eliminate discriminatory laws related to same-sex relations, promoting equality and nondiscrimination in public sphere and combating state and individual violence against LGBT people worldwide. However, the EU is not entirely free from internal LGBT discrimination. Same-sex relations are banned in 11 of 28 EU countries. Members States deprive adoption rights of same-sex couples. Cyprus still bans LGBT people from serving in military and Ireland does not recognize gender change. Legal issues aside, LGBT rights are largely contested by a conservative majority in some EU states. Poland is one of the countries where this topic is extremely hot due to the strong traditional and Christian values.

orange magazine talked with zofia jablonska, a lawyer in polish association of antidiscrimination law and a former activist of the organization campaign against homophobia to learn about the

dynamics between lgbt right, foreign affairs and media in poland.

Zofia Jablonska

Many countries around the world are still criminalizing LGBT status. However, the acceptance of equal rights for sexual minorities is growing and in recent years, we might have witnessed its spillover to the area of foreign affairs.

Q: Does Polish status quo on LGBT rights affect its international image? There are moments when it does, but overall it is still not that bad. Compated to countries of Central and Eastern European region, we are doing quite fine. This is the argument, which Polish politicians are using to look good internationally. In reality, nothing changes for good. Pressure from other EU states can influence our leadership. Our biggest issue is that the supremacy of the Polish Catholic Church’s conservative views on issues linked to family, marriage, contraception, or other aspects of private life has never been questioned since the fall of the Eastern Block. Q: How do Polish media cover issues on LGBT rights? Many liberal media companies are trying to adhere to equality-oriented point of views. We do get a lot of coverage and it is mainly positive. It raises our visibility. Yet, most coverage in Poland are sensational news.

Q: How can the media promote fair news on LGBT issues? I think media can pave the way for something bigger. As a part of Campaign Against Homophobia media campaign: “Parents there to speak out,” we placed posters around biggest Polish cities with parents posing with their LGBT children. Empowering messages were used such as: “My daughter taught me courage” or “My son taught me how to speak out.” This campaign started the growing Parents Movement. Campaign Against Homophobia trained these parents how to become activists. Now they visit cities to talk about their children and to meet with other parents. This grassroots effort is making a change that a media campaign alone would not accomplish. Dmitri Romanovski Moldova/Poland

VOXPOP Farnaz - freelance journalist, Iran “In Iran, we have a very strong censorship system and people are not allowed to say many things. But the reality is that nowadays, censorship does not have a real meaning because people are using the Internet and social media to voice their thoughts and influence the decision-making process. For example, when the Iranian foreign minister was in Europe, the Iranian regime was skeptical about a nuclear deal, but young people who wanted their country to negotiate, were using social media to encourage Iranian policy-makers to find an agreement.” Ar Raji Chairman - Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

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HOW CAN YOUTH JOURNALISTS HARNESS DIGITAL MEDIA TOOLS TO IMPROVE FOREIGN POLICY COVERAGE?

“There are some issues in the places where the foreign policy decision is involved. Young people try to know the real sufferings or the causes of those sufferings. If they portrait them in the digital media, it will create some sensations that will help the decision makers or the people to talk about it. And if they start talking about it once, then it can hammer the brain of the decision makers and things could get better.” Salim Salama - Palestinian League for Human Rights, Syria “Joining collective platforms where journalists can join forces, including different voices in the very same channel in order to leverage higher coverage, and I would say higher pressure as well to give a very specific and concrete message in a special way in one direction.”

Priya Esselborn - Deutsche Welle, Germany “I think that the most important is to simplify. I can only imagine that foreign policy is mainly considered to be a “dry”topic, a topic that is difficult to explain to a lot of people. And what I like about digital media, for me it is very close to social media where you have to present topics in a very short form that means you make difficult topics look simple. I think that would be a good way to get young people talk about foreign policy.” Lena Nitsche - Deutsche Welle Academy, Germany “It’s great that digital media puts people’s concerns on the agenda. But those who are in power online don’t really influence policies yet.”

Maria Alejandra - Deutsche Welle Academy, Germany “Using new media seems like a much more democratic way but it can also be dangerous. You don’t know how this flow of information is going to be used.”

Marilou Francicso - EBC – NET 25, the Philippines “Maintain high quality reporting despite the fast developments in the digital world, do not get carried away by speed and different applications that sometimes come up like you are doing a circus. Remember, it should be something that your audience will understand and promote further knowledge and understanding of issues that are going around them or in the world.” Gesche Schifferdecker - Max Weber Foundation, Germany “I think young journalists could improve foreign policy by using networks like Twitter, because usually foreign policy makers listen to the important voices, old journalists, and younger voices are often not heard.”

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THE FOUR STAGES OF EXTREMISM IN SOCIAL MEDIA “As radicalization increases family influence decreases,”is the general rule to remember when fighting extremism in social media. Although for some the battles fought in the digital field are already lost, CEO of the Rappler, Maria A. Ressa disproves it. Understanding the four different phases of radicalisation, the narrative could be changed. Stage 1: Agitation In a way, extremist organisations are excellent entrepeneurs with vast ideas. Through different social media channels, ISIS and other radical groups plant their roots almost invisibly. Tweets and Facebook posts are just the tip of the iceberg, says Maria A. Ressa, Rappler CEO. “Whether journalism or recruitment, it’s a move away from authority to authenticity.” Stage 2: Self identification For Fathy Mohamed Abou Hatab, the general manager of Al Masty Media, the change in discourse emerged with the new role of social media. “If we believe that the social media has become the source of news, then we will have to take it seriously,”adds he. The British schoolgirls may just be an example of successful recruitment by the extremists, but it’s important to understand the central idea behind

it—personalization. As the executive director of Individualland, Gulmina Bilal explains, personalization is the same keyword to combat the emerging radicalization, where the government could only provide the framework. Stage 3: Indoctrination “Before social media, messages were linear; you never knew what feedback you would get,”says Fathy Mohamed. But as Maria Ressa puts it, all social media has an underlying meaning, combining emotions, networks and behaviours. To combat the extremism, journalists should be trained to know these certain messages, actions. Looking at the tools means looking at the allocation of messages, adds Bilal. It is a daily battle to preserve the crowds that otherwise would feel the peer pressure or find the new hope in extremist movements. The counteract lays in simple truth— educate the people so that the interpretations wouldn’t be done by others, explains Fathy Mohamed. 21

Stage 4: Violent extremism The government actions in combating extremism have to be serious with no room to flipflop, says Gulmina Bilal. Today, Europe is seen as the forerunner in responding to the groups, collaborating with intelligence service, civil societies and other governments. “It is our duty to identify and map how different target groups are recruited online and offline. It’s also a clear understanding that the government needs supports. Many of governments have credibility issues, thus they have to put together very concentrated response,” Bilal says. Triin Ilves Estonia

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FINDING FAIR NEWS ONLINE IN IRAN’S MONOPOLIZED MEDIA the mainstream media in Iran

reflects mostly the government’s views. in a monopolized media landscape, the more neutral

publications are mostly found online.

Iran and the six world powers Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - are negotiating to find a solution to more than one decade of controversy and standoff over Iran’s nuclear activities. Washington and its allies accuse Tehran of atomic bomb development, which Tehran officials vehemently deny. Iranians maintain they use nuclear energy for power generation and medicine applications. The national media’s coverage on the negotiations is found lacking. Iran doesn’t have so many independent media organisations. Conservatives with close links to the government and military operate major news agencies in the country. “The media in Iran has always, in my opinion, been a passive reflection of governmental views. The few independent news media have had trouble with censorship and self-censorship,” says prof. William Beeman, chair of anthropology department at the University of Minnesota. “Remember, Iran is a hierarchical society. Even very independent people take their cues from people higher in the hierarchy.”

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute has a similar view. “I would not say that the media directly affect foreign policy but journalists are an intervening variable which needs to be taken into consideration.”

A more ‘neutral’ online media In a media monopoly landscape wherein all TV and radio stations are run by the state-affiliated Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the online media has more freedom to discuss relevant issues.

“I would not say that the media directly affect foreign policy but journalists are an intervening variable which needs to be taken into consideration.” Arshin Adib-Moghaddam Two leaders, two minds This is why President Ahmadinejad’s atypical foreign policy, predicated on the cementing of ties with Latin America and Africa and unwarranted hostility with the US and the West, has been publicly lauded and praised on the state TV, while the same media decry President Hassan Rouhani’s foreign policies, including the rare rapprochement with the US. “The state-oriented media is emphasizing areas where Iran appears strong, independent and defiant. The initiatives in Latin America were really new. Iran had never had this kind of foreign connection, and Ahmadinejad’s government found a partner in Cesar Chavez who was also defiant of the United States,” notes Beeman.

“Their reports tend to be more balanced. The censorship, official and self-censorship, is worse on TV and on Radio. In Iran, the print media continues to produce surprisingly refreshing editorials, despite the continued harassment and control of journalists,” says Adib-Moghaddam. “The conservative online media both in Iran and the US are backed by individuals who feel they gain more by maintaining the status quo. In Iran, there are forces in the government and military who realise that if there is an accord and relief of sanctions, economic markets and trade will open for everyone. These individuals who control the Iranian economy now want to keep this power,” he notes.

Kourosh Ziabari

William Beeman

Iran

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ORANGE MAGAZINE

MEDIA TOLD: ENGAGE THE DIGITAL AUDIENCE how do media outlets satisfy the need of the modern news consumers?

Keeping audiences engaged given their limited attention span and the deluge of information available everywhere is a major challenge for journalists, said BBC Editorial and Digital Director’s Richard Porter. “I think the biggest challenge at the moment is audiences just dipping into news and reading a tweet or social media posting and not going any further than that,” noted Porter. Pew Research Center’s latest report highlight the power of social media and mobile in reshaping news consumption. The report identifies that Facebook is a top choice for news source among millennial. Mobile is increasingly preferred as a platform over desktop PCs, and in terms of audience, Buzzfeed’s listicles is a top contender in terms of audience capture. Porter considers that news providers will have to embrace the task of content marketing in order to remain relevant. “We don’t, as a news organization, decide what the audience does. The audience does that for themselves. And they have more chance to do that than ever before,” he added. On the evolving role of the journalist, he said: “The job that you have is to convert audiences that come to you very briefly and make them realize that there’s a reason why they should come to your news organization and dig deeper.” Porter lists some criteria for content that maintains the interest of this fickle, quick-to-click audience.

“It has to be well produced. It has to be interesting and engaging, using all the techniques that we can to make sure that people stay with us. Whether that’s visual techniques or the headlines that you write—all the basic things that you need to do to get stories to stick with an audience. And of course you have to deliver on the rest of it, you have to invest in the quality of the journalism that goes beyond the tweet or whatever first brings somebody in,” says Porter. Guido Kowalski of the Grimme Institut proposes a highly integrated digital strategy wherein journalists use multiple platforms to deliver fragmented content that serves to enrich a core narrative - or what he calls “the story universe.” This content delivery strategy is “transmedia” composed of related pieces of standalone content.

“You don’t have to access everything to understand. But the more you use the different media, the more you understand the story that you have. Each media site is an entrance to your story universe” Guido Kowalski

Hallie Haller Taiwan 24

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A NEW FACE digital media tools provide an avenue for

Moldovans

OF MOLDOVAN to change how migrants are portrayed in the media.

The digital age provided an avenue for Moldovan media and bloggers to put another perspective on Moldovan migration, from negative stories on crimes of fraud and prostitution committed abroad to one that celebrate ambition and success. A 2014 study by NEXUS research noted some 479,000 Moldovan citizens have been in migration, with about 370,000 long-term employees abroad and 109,000 seasonal migrant workers. Half of the total migrant workers are rural men of Moldova. Unofficial data state that there are also 1 million illegal Moldovan migrants overseas. “Since 2000, migration became a strategy for survival because of the economic recession and political instability in the country,” says Liuba Vilcov, director of the Bureau for Diaspora of the Republic of Moldova. With social media, the country now gets news on achievements of Moldovan migrants abroad, notes Vilcov. A good example was Olga Cotaga, who currently interns at BBC. Years ago, stories of successful and wealthy Moldovan migrants were considered as a fantasy. Italian and Russian press, the most popular country destinations for Moldovan migrants, produced sensationa stories with or offensive headlines and without fact verification. With digital media, Moldovan news outlets and bloggers found a way to respond to the biased

MIGRATION representation of Moldovan migrants. “Local media started to promote the new image of Moldovan migrants: their talent, ambition, and work ethics. Some national media have dedicated sections on news about migrant communities such as Ziarul Naional, Vocea Basarabiei, Moldova.org, etc,” says Liuba Valcov. Social media such as Facebook also allowed Moldovan journalists such as Felicia Plamadeala to find story sources abroad. Digital media tools also enabled Moldovan migrants to share their opinion on issues faced by their country back home and even implement projects that help their fellow countrymen.

On Facebook, at least 50 groups formed by Moldovan migrants provide activities and pool resources to help their countrymen by providing opportunities, says Valcov. “Let`s go further” headlines a special project of online Moldovan media Newsmaker.md that tell the inspiring success stories of Moldovan migrants that seek to provide a balance of perspective on the diaspora.

“Since 2000, migration became a strategy for survival because of the economic recession and political instability in the country,”

An example is the Association of Liuba Vilcov, director of the Bureau for Diaspora of the Republic of Moldova Moldovans from Great Britain and Jeunes Moldave from France that offer internships for Moldovan youth via the website www.stagii.gov.md. The website has job postings from Moldovan employers that may be relevant to young interns.

While a small step, the changing portrayal of migrants is an important first step for Moldovans, and that makes it essential for them.

Marina Shupac Moldova

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ORANGE MAGAZINE

YOUTH OPEN DISCUSSIONS ON CAMBODIA’S DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

in cambodia, online activists shake up discussions on how international investments related to environmental projects are done.

Youth online activists in Cambodia are tapping social media to organise opposition to large-scale development projects backed by foreign governments—a trend some have cautioned to negatively impact the country’s relations with its biggest regional allies.

The targeted online campaigns have had successes and many noted that it is the best way for Cambodians to directly influence top-level decision makers. An Asian Development Bank report in 2014 showed that economic growth declined by 7 percent due to Cambodia’s political crisis, and damages caused by protests and social instability. As a consequence, foreign investors have suspended investments and some even canceled development projects. The Cambodian government blames the downturn on protesters, especially activists who seem to favor the opposition party over the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said Kem Ley, an analyst and head of the newly formed “social movement”Khmer for Khmer.“ In 2014, the number of social media users has increased dramatically, mainly on Facebook, which proved critical in expanding citizen access to news and sensitive information that are never shown on 90 percent of TV stations owned by the ruling party.” “Before, activists against development projects would only oppose the projects they found would be harmful for the environment and the resident’s life such as the Areng Dam in Koh Kong Province,” Ley said.

Vida Taing Cambodia

He added that research has drawn attention and support to the activists’arguments that the project is not beneficial, either for the 26

environment or for the economy; two previous Chinese investors who went to the area withdrew their plans after finding out that constructing the dam, indeed, “would not be viable.” Protests sprang again after a new investor, Chinese mega-firm Sinohydro, was granted concession for the dam. Sam Ath argued the actions of activists does not tarnish Cambodia’s image as the government has alleged. It shows there is a strong grassroots action in Cambodia, which should encourage a better investment environment, noted Sam Ath. “The Cambodian youth are now more likely to talk about politics and foreign policy, which benefits Cambodia. And they dare to stand against things if they think it was wrong. Sadly, the Cambodian government did not give them enough space to speak out. This is what I am concerned about,”Sam Ath explained. Oun Vansak, a university student who started to use Facebook to air sentiments about Cambodia’s current affairs in 2012, became “addicted”to it. “I like to post and share information related to political issues. Sometimes I post complaints on Facebook about foreign aid, which I believe foreign countries give to benefit more from Cambodia. I want to start discussions to learn from others online,” Vansak added.

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PHILIPPINES PUSHES CLIMATE AGENDA IN THE DIGITAL AGE Small island developing nations, like the Philippines, are at the frontline of a changing climate and are moving forward to engage the global community ahead of the Paris climate talks in December. The Philippines, together with 11 other vulnerable nations issued a ten-point climate action plan to highlight gaps, challenges and success stories of climate adaptation in Asia. Environmental organization Germanwatch identified the island nation as the “most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” according to the Global Risk Index 2015. In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan pummelled central Philippines, killing 6,300 and affecting 16 million Filipinos. Comprehensive international media coverage on the typhoon’s destruction went on for weeks, depicting images of people walking into debris piles of destroyed houses, trees, and dead bodies, as well as flattened buildings and trees to in print, broadcast and online media.

Adaptation

“When we do our own analysis and planning at home we see ourselves looking for expertise mostly outside. We want to improve our capacity because nobody else understands our situation more than ourselves,” notes Secretary Lucille Sering, ViceChairperson of the Climate Change Commission of Philippines. Sering is also elected president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) members composed of the 20 countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Top among the recommendations put forward by the group is a) establishing strong national coordination among institutions at the national and local governance levels and b) the mobilization of civil society for climate action. Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN ISDR), 27

Margareta Wahlström notes that today’s technology allows for better ways to understand the impact of disasters. “Today, we have a wealth of information showing evidence that disaster prevention works and it is more cost-efficient and better for societies to mitigate disaster losses this way. Much of this information came from technology-driven applications. An example is the use of satellite images to track damages in disaster-hit areas,” says Wahlström. There is also a need for enhanced access to international climate finance, which according to Red Constantino of the Institute of Climate Sustainable Cities is “a requirement because you cannot have ambition without finance.” Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Philippines, H.E. John Gomes notes that his country can learn a lot from the Philippines in terms of increasing adaptation and mitigation to typhoon floods and in exchange, Bangladesh can share its success in adopting solar energy for households. The recommendations are up for global consultation end of June.

Anna Valmero Philippines

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ORANGE MAGAZINE

Q&A

FEMINISM, GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE many researchers see the empowerment of women around the world as an essential element for sustainable development and global peace. feminist activists are on the

frontline of this process.

orange magazine interviewed a kenyan activist rose wachuka,

the co-founder of the voice of women initiative, about

the prospects of feminism

movement, the grassroots work and the importance of digital media as the tool for

empowerment.

Rose Wachuka Co-founder of The Voice of Women Initiative ÂŠ Ahmad Al-Bazz

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Q: What are the main five main challenges modern feminism is facing today globally? Modern feminism faces the danger of scepticism and unified approach. The understanding of what it means to be a feminist finds different interpretation in different societies. From a personal perspective, identifying myself as a feminist exposes me to certain stereotypes in the context of my society. Most people see it as an antagonism of the sexes, which is far from what feminism is about. This scepticism also affects how various feminist ideas are expressed and received across the globe. Even though the idea is the same, that is women empowerment, there are those who ‘lean in’ and those who ‘lean out’. I am personally concerned about the creation of the Digital class of feminists and the exclusion of those who do not have access to the digital space and that is the gap that my organisation “The Voice of Women Initiative” attempts to bridge. Q: What is the role of digital diplomacy in highlighting the needs of women in different contexts? Digital media presents an open space where conversations can be honest, un-moderated, individualised, dynamic and nuanced. It traverses the confines of traditional media and presents an individual with the opportunity to tell their own story in their chosen context. Social media and other forms of digital reporting allow a

person to shape a narrative and access millions of people with perspectives devoid of editorial filtering and politicization. This space remains critical in allowing women to decide which narratives define their contexts. Community based organizations, bloggers and citizen journalists have taken this space and turned it into a channel of voices that were normally edited out of mainstream traditional media, because they did not pass the marketability threshold as news. Google hangouts, Twitter, online campaigns and open source tools constitute some of the most powerful tools of digital diplomacy. Hosting various discussions on various gender topics has the potential to reach hundreds of people, shifting the set, exclusive focuses progressed by forms of traditional media such as print and broadcast journalism. The Voice of Women Initiative as a tool of digital diplomacy consciously allows women from various societies and contexts to express their narratives without the traditional editorial gate-keeping. The form of our approach was through correspondents who focus on the women in their communities. We are keen to contribute to women’s economic wellbeing by addressing indigenous and traditional knowledge shared through open mobile applications to address various survival measures in the face of drastic consequences of climate change, food insecurity, health catastrophes and other life threatening risks. 29

Q: Is it possible for women around the world to have a global voice? I do not think that it is possible to have a unified global voice because different women live in different contexts. One of the greatest challenges to the feminist course has been the attempt to unify the feminist narrative. This approach takes away from individual contexts and allows marginalization and imbalanced understanding of the global situation as far as women are concerned. Women in Kenya may have done tremendously well in championing the rights of the young girls. However, Kenyan women still have issues that need to be addressed, such as the economic situation of women in marginalized communities and access to comprehensive reproductive health for all women in Kenya. Women in other parts of the world may however be struggling to attain autonomy or be free to choose of gender. These issues, though both critical, are different in contextual relevance and require differentiated prioritization. This has to be the approach. Differentiated approaches responding to the needs of different contexts.

Dmitri Romanovski Moldova/Poland

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DIGITALIZATION AFFECTS POLITICS, FAILS TO BRING DEMOCRACY The use of digital technology is testing the authorities and transforming the international relations, opening new opportunities for the diplomats as well as creating challenges for the traditional mediums. With e- and Twit-diplomacy, technology redefines the politics and shifts the foreign affairs into the media sphere. “Every government is struggling to cope with the enormity of the digital change”, says Nik Gowing, international journalist. “They authorities don’t yet understand the influence of digitalization which put those at the bottom in control of the officials”. So far, the governments have not been affected by the digital politics completely, and the greater changes are yet to come. According to Jan Melissen, coeditor of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, the end of traditional diplomacy is here.

“With diplomats going online, people can appeal to them directly and expect immediate help.” Dunja Mijatovic of the OSCE Freedom of the Media states: “Virtual diplomacy is a big challenge because of the huge exposure of the diplomats. As we are becoming more reachable and transparent, we also become

accountable.” Deborah Seward of the UN Department of Public Information agrees: “With the tremendous amount of information, there is a great need for accountability.” However, as the governments have to use digital tools, the same applies to terrorists and criminal organisations, so the modern devices have become universal for all political relationships, says Taylor Owen, assistant professor in University of British Columbia. “Technologies do not only transform the communication, but the organisation and structure of the power,” he adds. However, the digitalisation has still not solved a number of issues regarding democracy and transparency.

“Cyberspace is becoming a new battlefield for freedom.” says Dunja Mijatovic. As many governments use surveillance apps to control the citizens, the authoritarian forces benefit from the digital opportunities as much as the democratic parties. This changes the perceptions people have toward authorities and legitimacy. “If we are saying that digital activity is a tool for foreign policy, we have to evaluate and compare it to the other tools such as military acts”, says Owen. A prominent example is Russian 30

intervention in Eastern Ukraine where propaganda and digital tools are used to counteract democratic actions.

“We have a gap between the public and the government because it does not react as quickly as the people demands,” says Gowing. “So in case the government remains silent, it increases the doubts and criticism among the audience,” adds he.

Anna Romandash Ukraine

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Orange Magazine team 2015

Anna Valmero Philippines

Triin Ilves Estonia

MĂŠlody Dafonseca France

Lilit Karapetyan

Ahmad Al-Bazz

Palestine

Dmitri Romanovski Moldova

Hallie Haller Taiwan/South Africa

Marina Shupac Moldova

Kourosh Ziabari Iran

Felipe Silva Brazil

Salome Modebadze Georgia

Anna Romandash

Julia Mardeusz Poland

Vida Taing Cambodia

Armenia

the orange magazine deutsche global media forum 2015 project is done in partnership with deutsche welle (dw.de).

Get updates on latest opportunities: @EYP_Orange Orange-Magazine www.orangemagazine.eu

Gabrielle Nina Mitch Democratic Republic of Congo

Ukraine

Kamilia Lahrichi

Morocco/Argentina

ÂŠ Ahmad Al-Bazz. Palestine, 2015.