As our blog deadline looms and we’re all getting around to wrapping up and doing our last few posts I’d just like to take this opportunity to comment on how much I’ve learned from this whole experience in group blogging. Not only do I feel like I’ve become a mini expert on press freedom and digital technology but I also think that our ‘fair comment’ group has created a quality blog that will be useful to anyone, anywhere in the world who’ interested in the subjects we’ve covered. We have delved into so many different areas of press freedom and I cannot believe how digital technology like blogging and Twitter are changing the face of news output.
From looking at all of the other blogs from other course members it’s clear to see how everyone’s topics interlink with one another. I thought that the Citizen Journalism blog particularly crossed over with a lot of our content. One website in particular that I picked up on in our presentation and I know the Citizen Journo’s came across too, illustrates just how important blogs are becoming in giving people a voice. BBC World Services’ Your Story project relies heavily on bloggers to have a voice and report on things that perhaps the mainstream media can’t get close to. Take the Israel/ Gaza conflict, the worldwide press couldn’t get in, so bloggers in both countries were called upon to provide in depth, live audio coverage on the BBC World Service. Of course it’s not all good news, in some places where freedom of speech is still restricted there are severe consequence for people who use digital technology to have a voice. Take Fouad Al-Farhan, the Saudi blogger who was sent to jail because he weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of the S.A government. He was later freed thanks to a public outcry via online petition, youtube videos and blogs. Digital technology is certainly changing the face of journalism. Platforms like blogs, Twitter, Youtube and facebook are allowing people from around the world to speak out. In terms of press freedom and gaining access to information, this developing use of digital technology is opening many doors that would have been firmly shut to the media before. How objective and reliable many of these platforms are is an argument that could take up another whole page….
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