By: Thabani Nyoni, Zimbabwe Independent, May 3, 2013
Zimbabwe has seen a plethora of opposition
political parties, civil society groups and human rights organizations as well
as dissenting voices being criminalized, delegitimized and brutalized. This
culture of violence, intolerance and impunity has thrived as the government
uses terms like "sell-outs", "puppets of the West", and
"Western-sponsored agents of regime change" to justify political
persecution. Civil society groups and human rights activists have worked to
expand, democratize and maintain a vibrant and legitimate public sphere in
Zimbabwe, which is a legitimate democratic regime agenda.
By: Gregory Warner, NPR, May 2, 2013
Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki does not
tolerate any independent media, the Internet is restricted, and Reporters
without Borders recently named it 179th out of 179 countries for freedom of
expression. Isayas Sium, an Eritrean-American exile, had an idea to
subversively protest against the government: robocall Eritreans with a smuggled
phonebook and tell them not to go out as traditional on Friday night. They
called the movement "Freedom Friday." According to one activist,
Eritreans are "...not as fearful as she thought they'd be, as according to
inside sources and recent refugees who've fled, staying home on Friday nights
is becoming kind of cool
By: Adam Clayton Powell III, Good Governance Africa, May 2, 2013
Citizen journalists, mostly untrained volunteer
newscasters, activists and whistle-blowers can take advantage of powerful new
technologies, many created in Africa, to collect and distribute their reports.
The power and ubiquity of inexpensive, low-end cellphones has increased, making
possible access to tools that can help spread information and safeguard
anonymity. For example, Mimiboard, a virtual noticeboard, won the most
votes at last year's Open Innovation Africa Summit and enables users to post,
via the web or SMS, events and information about social and political issues in
their communities - particularly when these citizen journalists and
activists who may not be able to operate openly.
By: Felicity Clarke, School for Authentic Journalism, April 24,
2013
For more than twenty years, Brazilian
authorities have maintained that the Vila Autódromo favela in Rio de Janeiro's
west zone doesn't belong and have attempted to remove it, citing aesthetic
damage, environmental damage, environmental risk and, more recently Olympic
Park developments as reasons. The community continues to resist, knowing their
legal right to the land and creating an alternative upgrading plan for the
community at a lower cost than relocation. This is where the School of
Authentic Journalism comes in: reporting for RioOnWatch in the last year, I
have been learning how journalism can empower people, even whole communities. 
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