News: Blog awards cry freedom

online news for online journalists	<!– function makeArray() { var args = makeArray.arguments; for (var i = 0; i 0) date.setTime(date.getTime() – skew); } function getString(date) { var months = new makeArray(“January”, “February”, “March”, “April”, “May”, “June”, “July”, “August”, “September”, “October”, “November”, “December”); return date.getDate() + ” ” + months[date.getMonth()] + ” ” + ((date.getFullYear() 26 January 2005

Blog awards cry freedom

Posted: 19 January 2005 By: Jemima Kiss
Email: jemima@journalism.co.uk

Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) is inviting nominations for its first Freedom Blog awards.

The
awards applaud independent blogs that provide an alternative view of
the news, especially in countries where journalists and writers are
persecuted by the authorities and the traditional media is under
government control.

Blogs are being adopted around the world as a way to combat censorship and share information.

To
be eligible, blogs must have been live for more than six months and
must not be run by a government or non-governmental body. Blogs run by
journalists are eligible, as are group blogs and all languages are
acceptable.

Entries should be run on a blog publishing service
such as Typepad or Blogger, although bespoke blogging formats will be
considered.

Yan Sham-Shackleton, otherwise known as Glutter
Girl, has blogged about Hong Kong’s democratic movement since July
2003. Her blog has been banned in China, where the government has
invested enormous resources in monitoring and banning sites containing
any dissenting political opinion.

"They have consistently been
very fast in shutting down services and sites within China that have
put forth alternative views, and blogs are not treated with any less
vigilance than any other type of media," she told dotJournalism.

"Blogs
can and do put forth a more humanised and personal view of the events
that unfold. They have highlighted many people with interesting
thoughts and increased the profile of self-publishing.

"So overall it’s a positive step in a time of media cartels."

The blogging community reacted furiously when the Chinese government blocked all blogs hosted by Typepad, blogbus and blogcn
in March 2004. Ms Sham-Shackleton initiated a symbolic ‘blackout’
protest by turning part of her site black, and this was quickly copied
by more than 100 sites around the world including US tech site Slashdot.

"I simply did it as a personal response and it captured the imagination of others," said Ms Sham-Shackleton.

"It made me understand the power of the internet."

To nominate a blog, email internet@rsf.org including the blog’s web address and a short description.

More news from dotJournalism:
Blog protest against censors
Dungeons and dragons
China blocks press freedom site
Chinese journalist begins hunger strike

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