Thursday, May 17, 2007

Cool NewMedia Happenings 5/17/07

OhMyNews on Wikimu citizen journalism in Indonesia.......Newsdesk.org's new design and more NYMHM...Ourmedia celebrates two years...NowPublic and YouTube?!?.....A new guy at Associated Content...

OhMyNews profiles Adrianto Gani, the CEO of Wikimu.com and discusses citizen journalism in Indonesia:
Q: Being independent and open to any point of view, how would you prevent your site from being used for political or religious campaigns?

A: Editors can always interfere, if needed, to decide if an article needs to be modified or even rejected before being posted in wikimu.


I'm fascinated on how various countries deal with "citizen journalism." In countries where the polticial situation is more hot-button than it is here (well, it is here too, but we ignore it), the press has an extremely important role and the cultivation of citizen journalists is important. Over here, we have it way too easy, and our "citizen journalism" is slowly being co-opted by the mainstream. Look at all the networks that want *your* video content--why? as well as many of the major newspapers wanting to "host"--as in direct, co-opt, gatekeep--citizen journalism.
Over here, it's all about Celebrity--if the networks can bestow it on you and how you can keep it. In places like Indonesia, it's about freedom of speech and information.

and speaking of independent, citizen-powered sites in the U.S.:

Newsdesk.org spiffs up their site, as well as their "News You Might Have Missed"--which y'all can also subscribe to. Josh and his team dig up some great stories--definitley stuff that you would certainly have missed otherwise...

Non-profit, non-coroporate citizen media site Ourmedia recently celebrated its two-year anniversary with a new streamlined look. Cool things about Ourmedia: tons of interviews with all sorts of movers and shakers on the inside of the "web 2.0" movement (geeze! I hate that term!) as well as great information resources (how tos on doing it right and not getting screwed by "the law"--hmmm...maybe the YouTube guys need a lesson there ;-) ). (via D.G.'s blog)

but wait! there's more...

NowPublic's new deal with YouTube makes it easier for citizens to get hold of other citizen's (or their own) video and post to stories they do at NowPublic. As Mike sez in an email: "It's crowd-sourcing for all." Exactly!

Associated Content's hired Tim Skillern, former multimedia producer-reporting type guy at RockyMountainNews.com, to be its new News Director. From the AC p/r guys:
Skillern will be responsible for developing and managing the news library, editing news submissions, supervising support staff and managing the syndication of assets. He will also manage the site’s Content Producers, organizing teams to respond to breaking news stories, as well as reaching out to invite contributions from new users.
Pretty much sums it up. Sounds like a fun job--and where can I get one kinda like it??? ;-)

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