Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives

Despite Vietnam being listed as one of the 13 “enemies of the Internet” in 2006 by Reporters Without Borders, Nguyen (Chapter 12) argues that citizen journalism has “developed quite vigorously” there. Indeed, he illustrates how it has seen a spectacular rise in recent years, establishing a reputation for breaking news-often reporting events that would have been ignored by mainstream media as too controversial. In this way, citizen journalists are helping to create a realm of debate where the authority of the state can be called into question. The blogosphere has prospered, in Nguyen’s view, not simply because of technological advances, but also because of the governing regime’s “confident tolerance” in allowing such activities to take place.

Author: An Nguyen