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Advocacy Capacity Building Civic Education News & Information Research Other Links 
Interview with Gabriel Williams, former Secretary General of the Press Union of Liberia and author of a recently published book Liberia: the Heart of Darkness. World Movement Participants Database Search for more information about groups using the Internet and other media in their activities. |
Africa Pulse - Africa Regional
www.africapulse.net/
Africa Pulse, a news and information portal for the Civil Society sector in the Southern African Development Community, was launched on March 8, 2002, in time for Zimbabwe's recent elections. The portal, hosted by SANGONeT, Association for Progressive Communication member organization in South Africa, is a project that incorporates the visions and needs of regional organizations. Africa Pulse relies on a 'bottom-up' publishing structure, which means that organizations publish directly to the site.
BelaPAN Information Company - Belarus
http://www.belapan.com/eng/index.htm
BelaPAN is an independent news agency that provides clients with information on social, political and economic events in Belarus and the NIS states while offering analytical, advertising, publishing and public opinion services. It publishes Belarus News, an on-line independent daily newspaper. The Russian-language site serves as a free source of objective political, economic, social and cultural information for NGOs, political parties, trade unions, media and ordinary citizens.
CubaNet - Cuba
www.cubanet.org
The purpose of the U.S.-based CubaNet is to serve as a vehicle of expression for Cuban independent journalists as well as a forum for newspaper articles and other analytical pieces on Cuba. Independent Cuban journalists provide CubaNet with reports by phone and fax, and these reports are circulated over the Internet to the international media whose reports often find their way back into Cuba.
Democratic Voice of Burma - Burma, Norway-based
www.communique.no/dvb/
Through its radio programs, the Democratic Voice of Burma highlights the struggle for democracy in Burma, with coverage on press freedom, the status of dissidents and democracy activists, and the general political situation. The programs aim to connect both those living in Burma and those living in exile, and to reach people of as many ethnic groups as possible with multi-language broadcasts. In addition to daily broadcasts of Burma-related news and news commentaries, weekly feature programs include: "Speeches of Burma's National Leaders"; a program called "Our Future," which highlights education, development and democratic transition around the world from the Burmese perspective; and the program, "Voice of ethnic and democratic forces in exile."
Globus Press Syndicate - Russia
Contact: globus@glas.apc.org
Functioning like similar syndicates throughout the world, Globus provides provincial newspapers with news from foreign sources, from its own subscribers and from freelance journalists. The aim is to provide regional papers with high-quality information from larger cities. Globus has also been active in promoting journalists' rights through press releases and items in their monthly bulletin about press freedom in Russia.
Glasnost Foundation - New Independent States Regional
www.glasnostonline.org
The Glasnost Foundation was established in May 1987 by dissidents, released from political camps and prisons. The Foundation began during the years of Perestroika, publishing the independent magazine "Glasnost" (1987-1991). Today, however, the organization has become much more high-tech in its struggle to both monitor and disseminate information on human rights in Russia, and to change governmental policy which provides grounds for arbitrariness and human rights violations. In February 2000, the Glasnost Foundation established the Glasnost North Caucasus News Service and its own correspondence network, which provides information on events in the Caucasus and brief comments on the ongoing situation there, both in Russian and in English. This news is published daily in an e-mail bulletin.
Malaysiankini.com - Malaysia
www.malaysiakini.com
Malaysiakini.com is an important source of independent news and opinions in Malaysia, attracting over 120,000 readers daily, making it one of the top three Web sites in Malaysia. It supports Malaysian journalists and promotes press freedom in Malaysia.
Mizzima - Burma
www.mizzima.com
Mizzima News Group is a news and feature service organized by Burmese media persons in exile. It was established in 1998 to promote democracy and freedom of expression in Burma. Mizzima covers information on Burma and Burma-related issues and disseminates the news and information through e-mail and fax. It also organizes seminars and workshops on the role of independent media in promoting democracy for Burmese democracy activists and journalists. In order to raise awareness of the people of Burma in the international community, Mizzima News produces video documentaries on Burma and Burma-related issues and broadcasts them on television.
NCOP Online!/National Council of Provinces (NCOP) - South Africa
www.parliament.gov.za/ncop
In the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the upper house of Parliament in South Africa, a complex legislative process requires timely and accurate interaction between national and provincial legislatures that was crippled due to a lack of efficient communication and coordination. To address this need, the NCOP, in collaboration with the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), established NCOP Online!, an Internet-based information management system consisting of a website and proactive Email notification system. Through NCOP Online!, national and provincial legislators and staff, along with members of the public and interest groups, have instant access to the latest bills, committee and public hearing schedules, parliamentary programs and other legislative information either online or via the real-time email document delivery service. People can also use NCOP Online! to make public submissions to NCOP committees.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)/Parliament of Namibia - Namibia
www.parliament.gov.na
In March 2001 an National Conference produced consensus among politicians, academia, civil society & traditional leadership that Namibian democracy could only be consolidated and sustained if structures were built for informed citizen participation in the legislative and other decision-making processes of the nation. In response, Washington-based National Democratic Institute, in collaboration with the Parliament of Namibia, has created a Web site aimed at empowering elected officials, the public, and administrative staff in Parliament and in regional councils. The Web site includes public discussion forum to facilitate public input and dialogue around public policy issues, and an MP Intranet for secure legislative collaboration. In addition, a Mobile Training Unit (MTU), a large bus installed with 10 PCs and Internet access, is used to train officials, legislators, and advocacy groups in all 13 of Namibia's regions.
OpenNet - Serbia
www2.opennet.org
Radio B-92 (see below) developed OpenNet, a multi-media center for independent NGOs, anti-war activists, alternative artists, and independent journalists. Magazines are provided in electronic form on OpenNet, as are books, articles, movies, documentaries, and television programs. English-language news is transmitted to international stations for broadcast to foreign audiences. OpenNet provides NGOs with networking and training courses for the development of the civic sector, Internet classrooms for those without computers, training to enable pensioners to communicate with their refugee children, and courses that help artists provide technical services for art projects.
Radio B-92/Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) - Serbia
www.b92.net/doc/aboutus.phtml
Radio B-92 is a multi-faceted media house at the very forefront of the transformation of post-Milosevic Yugoslavia's cultural life. B-92 uses the Internet as a means of bypassing media repression and has achieved global acclaim for its part in the downfall of a corrupt and violent regime. When the Milosevic regime closed down its station in December 1996, B-92 used the Internet to send its radio program outside the country, where it was picked up by the Voice of America, BBC, Radio Free Europe, and Deutsche Welle and re-broadcast back in, reaching an even wider audience and forcing the regime to lift the ban after only 51 hours. Although the radio station still forms the backbone of the B-92 project, the B-92's Web site has become a major aspect of its work. The prime focus of the Web site is the news pages, and daily e-mail bulletins keep a total of 20,000 people across the globe in touch with events in the country.
Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center - Mongolia
Contact: +718-899-8391 (fax) The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center operates an e-mail based news magazine providing news, various political opinions, and information regarding human and indigenous rights to audiences in the region of Inner Mongolia, in northern China. The SMHRIC also holds conferences to increase awareness of the SMHRIC and improve its ability to collect and distribute information on human rights issues in Inner Mongolia.
TV 5 - Serbia
www.rtv5.co.yu/
TV 5, a municipal television station based in Nis, Serbia, broadcasts unbiased news and information to the inhabitants of the city and the nearby region in southern Serbia. Its programs include "At the Day's End," a daily review of the top political developments in the city as well as top international news, and "Elections and Democracy," a series of 12 one-hour programs which were broadcast weekly in the months leading up to the 2000 municipal elections in Serbia.
Union of Independent Journalists of Uzbekistan - Uzbekistan
www.uiju.org/
The Union of Independent Journalists of Uzbekistan maintains an online newspaper that distributes independent, verified news from Uzbekistan. Included is an email list to distribute news and analysis about human rights and the situation of the media in Uzbekistan. Goals of the organization include uniting representatives of the media and acting as a forum for social and political groups to explain their policies and priorities.
About "What's Being Done On . . . "
For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889.
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