Citizen Journalist

Reports from the Frontline: How Small World News Trains Citizen Journalists and Captures Footage from Libya

Posted by MelissaUlbricht on Jun 10, 2011

Tagged With:

Small World News and Alive.in

Small World News is a documentary and new media company that provides tools to journalists and citizens around the world to tell stories about their lives. We wrote about Small World News last when it helped an independent Afghan news agency integrate mobile phones and SMS into news reporting.

As part of its work in Libya, Small World News captures audio reports from individuals on the ground to broadcast to a larger international audience. It does this via Speak2Tweet, a collaborative project from Google, Twitter, and SayNow, which allows a caller to Tweet by calling a phone number and leaving a voicemail.

Basic Information

Website URL:

http://smallworldnews.tv/

Organization involved in the project?:

Small World News

Project goals:

The goal is to build an effective and sustainable conduit for content produced by citizens about daily life in Libya that reaches a wider audience.

Brief description of the project:

Small World News is on the ground in Benghazi training Libyans to capture and tell video stories of events in this volatile region.

Target audience:

Small World News has a team of about a dozen men and women ranging in age from 16 to 30 years learning how to create video content.

Detailed Information

Status:

Ongoing

What worked well? :

For Small World News, capturing and sharing stories from Libya is as much about technology as it is about establishing trust and connections with the journalists on the ground. The team used platforms like Speak2Tweet and Unviersal Subtitles and also tapped into existing networks of people on the ground.

What did not work? What were the challenges?:

Establishing trust and working in a stressful environment have been ongoing issues. Also, there have been technical challenges. The account for the team’s satellite equipment had not been activated, and they found out that credit had never been applied to it.

Voices of Africa: Citizen Journalists Reporting with Mobile Phones

Posted by AnneryanHeatwole on Nov 13, 2009

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Voices of Africa: Citizen Journalists Reporting with Mobile Phones data sheet 6259 Views

Mobile phones are the tool of choice for a new group of young reporters in Africa. Voices of Africa Media Foundation, a Netherlands-based non-profit, trains young journalists in Africa to create news videos for the web using mobiles.

The foundation currently has programs in Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, with plans to expand to more countries in 2010. The training program for the young journalists lasts nine months and teaches the trainees how to create video news reports with cell phones. At the beginning of the program, the small group (there are usually six or fewer participants per program) comes together and is trained for three to four days in the basics of mobile reporting (both how to use the technology and in basic journalism). Then they return to their communities, and for a period of six months, use the phones to make video reports on local stories.

Basic Information

Website URL:

http://voicesofafrica.africane...

Organization involved in the project?:

Voices of Africa Media Foundation

Project goals:

To create opportunities for young African journalists using mobiles
To provide news coverage of under-served areas

Brief description of the project:

The Voices of Africa Media Foundation teaches young journalists in Africa how to use mobiles to create news videos. The nine month training program allows the students to gain online exposure for their work, while also providing free online feedback from instructors.

Target audience:

The target audience for students is young Africans with an interest in journalism; the program is especially trying to reach young women to join their program in order to have equal male/female participation. The viewing audience is primarily located overseas and in major African cities where the Internet is more easily accessible.

Detailed Information

Length of Project (in months) :

Status:

Ongoing

What worked well? :

By choosing students from local communities, reporters are able to interact with their subjects in local languages, giving them much better access than outside organizations.
Mobile phones lower barriers between the reporter and the subject, are lightweight and portable, and are relatively cost-effective.

What did not work? What were the challenges?:

Difficulty of maintaining funding so that the program remains free for students
The program has had difficulty attracting and keeping female students; they are trying to reach an equal male-to-female enrollment
Finding ways to show the videos to the areas the cover

MobileActive.org