Freedom of Speech

The internet opened new doors for free speech, exploring ideas and pronouncing yourself. This declaration was made by John Perry Barlow 10 year ago. It was a reaction to an early attempt of the government to control the Internet.

"I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have true reason to fear…. We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her belief, no matter how singular, without fear or being coerced into silence or conformity."

Although this declaration there are some countries in the world that banned some information from the internet and many people are punished for their ideas. (www.smh.com.au/news/technology/censors-come-calling)
In china 60 online journalism and bogglers have been jailed. The Chinese Government has shut down two sites hosting weblogs for thousands of people. One of the sites, BlogBus.com, hosted more than 15,000 weblogs that have now been made inaccessible. The site was shut down on March 11, for allowing a letter to be posted that was critical of the Government. The website could not be opened today. (to know more about this issue go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2004/03/18/1068965.htm)
China is not the only country that restrict information from the internet it’s also happens in Iraq, Burma, Iran and other countries.

For more information and related articles go to: www.cpj.org
and:
http://search.abc.net.au/search/search.cgi?query=censorship+chaina+blog&collection=abcnews&form=news

Citezen Journalism

The growth of the media and digital communication has increased significantly in the last few years. Correspondingly the audience responds to share and object to the information being delivered to them developed.

Citizen journalism has become necessary to the media as well as to the public. The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create news. Today the media opened a new platform to the public using the web to play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting and analysing news and information.

The book We the Media by Dan Gillmor discuses citizen journalism, where it's started and why. One of the main reasons that Gillmor exposes to why it's started is that "freedom of the press limited to those who own one" (A.j. Liebling).

The citizen journalism phenomena is so powerful that even in controlled media world of News Chains it's beating away through censorship, breaking taboos and offering a pressure valve for social tensions.(to see more in that issue go to: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/26/1962255.htm). "If you don't agree with the news go and make your own news" Wes –"Scoop" Nisker

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Dgfufx9H1BcC


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