Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives

Peaceful protests are in stark contrast to some of the practices uncovered during the 2007 Kenyan presidential election crisis by Zuckerman (Chapter 15). He reveals how bloggers took on the role of reporters in documenting the election process and mapping the violence that ensued following the disputed result, providing a crucial source of information following the government’s ban on live media. However, citizen media and text messaging were also used in a more sinister way to mobilize different ethnic groups against each other. Attempts at moderating such hateful content led Kenya’s leading bulletin board site to shut down, while the government decided to block bulk text messages. Technologies “useful for reporting and peacemaking,” Zuckerman warns, “are also useful for rumor mongering and incitement to violence.”

Author: Ethan Zuckerman