Journalism, civil society and mobile networks

Jude Mathurine from Rhodes University has an interesting presentation on the impact of mobile phone based use of social networks in Africa. I've not yet come across a comparable study of new media's use and impact in Sri Lanka, but the points on slides 3 and 7, noting that the Internet is still an elite …

Mainsream media monitoring in Sri Lanka

The Centre for Policy Alternatives has conducted media monitoring of traditional media in Sri Lanka at key times, such as in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami and on a regular basis over the past decade. In 2009, we looked specifically at traditional media coverage of humaniarian issues and war coverage. We monitor broadcast (TV …

2008: Celebrating the growth of media freedom and the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka

NOT. Media freedom and the freedom of expression took a nose dive in 2008, following trends from the year before. Print, electronic and web media were severely undermined by government and LTTE supported violence - both physical and verbal - against dissent, independent opinion and investigative journalism. Framed by escalation of hostilities in the North …

Poetry, Prose and Satire: Exploring violence, war, religion and peace in Sri Lanka

In light of a Government unable and unwilling to investigate violence against journalists and independent media, satire is one way in which violent events, processes and individuals can be held up for public scrutiny more frequently. In the first submission to the site, Banyan News Reporters publishes a piece on how TV Remote Controllers are …

The problem with mobile phones that grab our attention

Our opportunity: remembering to find the OFF switch on our devices, now and then, and tune in to the present with engaged attention. I believe attention is the most powerful tool of the human spirit. We can enhance or augment our attention with practices like meditation and exercise, diffuse it with technologies like email and …

ICT4Peace in 2007: Significant work, applied research and challenges

It's been an bloody eventful year, literally and metaphorically. Sri Lanka's war escalated dramatically over the course of the year, with the LTTE suffering significantly at the hand of a Government hell-bent on its complete destruction. The timbre of democracy in Sri Lanka took many blows, not just through the erosion of human rights and …

Nokia N93i and Citizen Journalism in Sri Lanka

Reading Reuters/Nokia Collaboration Has Potential for Citizen Journalists on MobileActive echoed what I'm currently facilitating in Sri Lanka with the help of the CPA Media Unit. We are using a Nokia N93i phone to capture content that is feeding into Sri Lanka's first citizen journalism YouTube channel, the Vikalpa YouTube Video Channel. The channel will …