New media technologies give average citizens access to vast amounts of information and broad networks of people. People can use these tools to pursue social and political agendas of their own making. This edition of eJournal USA shows how this new empowerment is influencing nations in various parts of the world.
Citizens of the online world use high-technology tools to influence social and political change.
Establishment media organizations recognize the benefits that user-generated content can bring their publications, but they carry the material with caution.
OhmyNews.com is a pioneer in citizen journalism with more than 60,000 reporters worldwide.
Yahoo! agrees to pay a settlement in a lawsuit claiming that the company bore some responsibility for the incarceration of a Chinese journalist.
New media aren't following the same ethics and standards that guide traditional media, and industry observers are still weighing the social impact.
Hyperlocal Web sites serve local needs, filling a void in news coverage.
A human rights organization questions the relationships between repressive governments and technology companies establishing themselves in new markets.
The Rose Revolution brought government and economic reforms to this former satellite nation of the Soviet Union, but the media still work under restraints.
Sophisticated users of information technologies are bringing new scrutiny and influence to U.S. elections.
The U.S. State Department works to boost access to the Internet as an instrument of empowerment.
An "Ask America" web chat.
Join us December 4, 2008, at 13:00 GMT to talk about how to use social and mobile technologies to promote freedom and justice, and oppose violence, extremism, and oppression. Editor Alexandra Abboud manages coverage of U.S. culture and values for America.gov, and will be joining us from the Alliance of Youth Movements Summit with her observations and thoughts.
A free and active media are an invaluable tool in democratic societies. When press is free and independent, it keeps the public informed and discourages the government from abusing or exceeding its powers.
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