Stories from the Field

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Responds to FCC Announcement on Low-Income Broadband Access

[Source: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, January 9, 2012]
“An important step toward narrowing the digital divide – but not yet the quantum leap necessary to include all Americans in the new economy.” WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Wade Henderson, president and ...

FAQ: What Are the Rights of Reporters Covering Protests?

[Source: The Nation, by Jonathan Peters, January 4, 2012]
Reporting on protests is no easy job — just ask the thirty-six reporters arrested while covering the Occupy movement, from New York to Boston to Nashville and beyond. Amid clashes between ...

The Ongoing War on Computing; Legacy Players Trying to Control the Uncontrollable

[Source: TechDirt, by Mike Masnick, January 4, 2012]
I don't think I've ever had so many people all recommend I watch the same thing as the number of folks who pointed me to Cory Doctorow's brilliant talk at the Chaos Communication ...

Junk-Food News Turning Us into Fat-Heads

[Source: Miami Herald, by Eric Newton, August 13, 2011]
We the people are fat. So much so medical experts have declared an epidemic and declared costs to this nation of untold billions. But there’s an even bigger epidemic out there, less obvious but no ...

Imprisonments Jump Worldwide, and Iran Is Worst

[Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, December 8, 2011]
Stark regional differences are seen as jailings grow significantly in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of journalists are held without charge, many in secret prisons.

The Internet, Innovation and Learning

[Source: Joi Ito, December 5, 2011]
Joichi Ito, recently appointed Director of the MIT Media Lab, Trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Chair of Creative Commons offers a powerful insight into the creative ...

Transmedia Futures: Situated Documentary via Augmented Reality

[Source: Personalize Media, by Gary Hayes, July 20, 2011]
I was surprised to hear recently from a few friends (who should know better) that Augmented Reality is already finished?! – killed off by marketing superficiality over the past 6 years?! Of course ...

Popcorn.js and i-Docs: The Start of a Great Relationship?

[Source: i-Docs, October 27, 2011]
A glance at Popcorn.js and its possibilities for i-docs making, one week before the release of its 1.0 version at the Mozilla Festival in London. The last article posted by Arnau Gifreu on the ...

What Newsrooms Can Learn from Open-Source and Maker Culture

[Source: Nieman Journalism Lab, by Nikki Usher and Seth C. Lewis, October 7, 2011]
…and why they could be the keys to innovating both the business and the system of journalism. “Newsosaur” blogger and media consultant Alan Mutter some time ago suggested that journalism has to ...

Pittsburgh CONNECTS: Public Computer Centers Offer Broadband Technology to Low-Income Communities

[Source: To the Point, by Amy Crawford, October 26, 2011]
Unemployed for nearly two years, Richard Witt was struggling to find work when he noticed a sign outside of the Bloomfield Garfield Pittsburgh CONNECTS center about jobs. Last Friday afternoon, ...