Back on July 2nd, mcjoan posted a story about her trip to Seoul, Korea to attend a conference on citizen journalism sponsored by OhMyNews, which she writes, "in 2000 became the first online newspaper in the world to accept, edit, and publish articles from its readers."
OhmyNews has grown since 2000 to a staff of 55, with as many as 50,000 citizen reporters contributing from over 100 countries, including a recent addition, Afghanistan. I was lucky enough to represent Daily Kos at a conference sponsored by OhmyNews in Seoul June 27 and 28. Along with the OhmyNews reporters from Cameroon to Afghanistan to Finland, new media pioneers from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Canada, and Israel met for a whirlwind two days of intense conversation and shared understanding of what we're up against in this new venture of ours.
Since mcjoan posted that story, I have kept OhMyNews (the name, odd to my American ears, apparently derives in part from the name of the publisher, Oh Yeon-ho) set to pop-up on my web browser next to DailyKos and cycles of my favorite blogs. I want to see what all those citizen journalists from around the world have to say. Today, two stories are up, that I thought I would share with DailyKos. The first is an interview with a former child soldier out of Sierra Leone; the second is a piece on the U.S.'s failing infrastructure, prompted by the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
There Is No Fun in Killing People
[Interview] Njilef Steven's life as a Sierra Leonean child soldier
[byline:] Amin George Forji (amingeorge)
-- snip --
In 1995, at the age of 14, Njilef Steven was captured by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) when his village of Bombeli was taken hostage by the rebels. He then served in the RUF until 2000, when a United Nations-brokered peace accord (brokered a year earlier in Lome, Togo) secured his freedom from the movement, together many other fellow child soldiers.
-- snip --
I understand you were a child soldier in Sierra Leone, how did this come about?
You are right, Mr. journalist. I was a child soldier for four years against my own wish, between 1995 to 2000. It all started when rebels of the RUF invaded my village, Bombeli, destroyed government buildings, beat anyone that challenged them or was stubborn and, worst of all, captured every active person, whether man, boy or girl, into their movement. I was one of those taken hostage. Many people were even killed before everyone's eyes, and the commanders said that was to demonstrate that they were not in Bombeli for child play.
That was the beginning of a sad life for all of us. The world was never going to be the same.
-- snip --
Do you regret being a child soldier?
Obviously, I regret so much, and I think every child does. Every child in the rebel movement is just miserable, because we all understand that there can be no fun in killing other people. They cry when someone dies out of their gunfire. But it is not your choice. You just obey. It is either you do or die yourself. Sooner or later, you get used to the situation, because there is no hope of ever going back.
-- snip -
America's Crumbling Priorities
[Opinion] Billions are being spent In Iraq while America's infrastructure languishes
[byline:] Cody Lyon (shelby)
At an Aug. 9 press conference, U.S. President George W. Bush was asked whether he thought a proposal to raise gasoline taxes by 5 cents a gallon, with the revenue to be used to solidify the safety of the nation's bridges, was a good idea.
Bush said, "Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities."
Some might say the president needs to examine his own priorities and perhaps study the nation's infrastructure a little harder, that is, if one takes a 2005 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) seriously. That report found dangerous flaws not only in bridges, but also in some of our most basic modern lifelines. Those lifelines make up the backbone of our nation's economy. The ASCE report warned that if more wasn't done to repair the nation's bridges, roadways, water supply, electrical grids and dams, among other items, it potentially faced disruptions in the way people get around, surf the web, fly in a plane, drink water and -- as New Yorker's learned yet again this week after a summer downpour -- if and when we can take the subway.
-- snip --
The OhMyNews website also has a section devoted to meta: citizen journalists reporting on citizen journalism. (They call it "theory and practice" instead of "meta". Snobs.) Here is a piece from India:
A Citizen Reporter's Take on Global Citizen Journalism
Rajen Nair looks at the emerging trends in citizen media
[byline:] Rajen Nair (rajennair)
-- snip --
I think the concept and importance of citizen journalism is gaining wide recognition among global mainstream media and satellite television. At least here in India there is a realization among the television channels and the main stream print media of the growing importance of the role of citizen journalist.
-- snip --
This phenomenon of inter-participatory journalism between the commoner and the media is becoming new emerging trend in collection and dissipating of news. Due to the mushrooming of television channels and print media the competition to survive day by day is becoming more cut throat.
Nair notes issues with citizen journalism that also crop up from time to time for group blogs such as DailyKos:
Whereas the citizen journalism has no professional qualification in presenting news, the credibility and accuracy of the news at times is questionable. The editor has to depend on trust about the news accuracy coming from citizen journalist and mostly absolve the newspaper of any accountability. The flip side of citizen journalism is that there is tendency of some people misusing it to settle personal score with some one. A politician finding himself at loggerhead with the local press; can misuse citizen journalist to get even or fend off criticism from the press.
Citizen control of information is growing global trend. It frightens a lot of people; not least the powers-that-be, but also not just the powers-that-be. There are no models for this. We're all just making it up as we go along. It's good to know, then, that we're all in it together, a planet full of people, figuring out our place in the world as we go.