Video & blogging for human rights

The nonprofit group, Witness.org, distributes video cameras in hopes of minimizing human rights abuses. Their slogan: "See it. Film it. Change it."

Vancouver Film School students created an inspiring video, "Iran, A Nation of Bloggers", and put it online months before the tech-fueled protests over Iran's disputed 2009 election.

Murder of Kahled Said sparks uprising

In June of last year, 28-year-old Khaled Said was beaten to death by police in public for the crime of Internet use. His martyrdom inspired protests and Internet organizing that led to the victorious uprising. Google exec and activist Wael Ghonim set up the powerful Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said."

Blogger Marwa Rakha, born and raised in Egypt, posted about a mass detention of bloggers, including Wael Abbas, who tried to cover the aftermath of a massacre of Egyptian Christians.

Egypt: Bloggers/Net activists laid groundwork for uprising

With the state in control of all major media in Egypt, brave Egyptian "citizen journalists" have risked imprisonment and torture to blog or tweet about human rights abuses. Here's renowned Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas interviewed by BBC. Over the years, Abbas was harassed, censored and assaulted by authorities, and was briefly detained during the uprising earlier this year.

I've been showing this fascinating 2008 video (with not-great English translation) -- "Internet Freedom in Egypt" -- since it appeared online.

Global Voice Online

Always something interesting, including this new post featuring short videos on gender equality from Ukraine. This post from last year features a public protest by a very brave professor and blogger in China, offering himself as a slave.

One of U.S. media's biggest voices...

...explains Egypt last Jan/Feb, and how an Islamic Caliphate was ready to take over much of the world. Daily Show excerpt of GLENN BECK from his now-defunct Fox News show. Fuller Beck excerpts here.

Murdoch's Minions

Fox Sports announces "actual headlines" that weren't.

New study suggests that outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch/News Corp give more positive reviews to movies produced by Murdoch/NewsCorp's 20th Century Fox. (H/t Jim Naureckas of FAIR)

Important websites...

...that are good sources of story ideas: Voices of New York (formerly Voices That Must Be Heard) and Color Lines.