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Tactic: Afghan blogger wins free speech award

Description: While many in the traditional journalism world wonder about the future of its industry, the emergence of new media has created innovative opportunities for reporters who want to go deeper into the stories that would otherwise go underreported. In recent times there have been a surge in journalists from countries where free speech is repressed getting their own blogs to challenge their governments and grow grassroots support.

Digital Tools Being Used: blogs

What Did He Do: Afghan journalist and blogger Nasim Fekrat was given an award for the freedom of expression by Information Safety and Freedom (ISF), which was presented to him in Italy last month. Fekrat founded the blog Afghan Lord “to highlight the problems of my society in an independent manner, without fear and in a non-partisan manner in regards any group or political interest in Afghanistan.” He is an accomplished freelance journalist who has been published in the Associated Press and BBC, and created an online newspaper, Afghan Press, in two languages, Farsi and English. He is also the founder of the Association of Afghan Blog Writers, which has created a community of Afghan young bloggers.

“Presenting Afghanistan through [the] digital world is a job for [the] new generation, not for those were involved in war, for those who were involved in massacres, those who plant opium but this the new generation that can tell to the world the reality what they believe and streaming in their live[s] daily,” Fekrat said. “They are the sources of truth and honest, they are tired of war, they are not the generation of suicide anymore.”

Tactic: Organizing a Blogging Workshop

Description: On April 3 and 4, 2008, a blogging workshop was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. The participators were introduced to blogging and the blogosphere and learned how to use blog providers or to differentiate between a blog and a web site.

Organizer: The workshop was organized by the Afghan Association of Blog Writers, represented by the bloggers Nasim Fekrat and Masoumeh Ebrahimi.

Purpose of Action: The workshop’s goal was to introduce Afghan journalists and writers to the power of blogs. The organizers believe that blogs could help improve the quality of the Afghan print and online media, if being used as a publishing as well as an investigation tool. Another goal was to speed up the growth of the currently very small Afghan blogosphere.

Organizing Tools: Blogs

Outcome: Ten Afghan journalists, writers and academics were introduced to blogging. They learned how to use online media and subsequently founded their own blogs. The workshop was described as “may be the most important step for journalism in Afghanistan.” So far it cannot be told how many of the participants will continue their blogs.

Ease of Replication: Afghan PenLog, the Afghan Association of Blog Writers, plans to hold similar events in several other Afghan cities, but the funding will remain a serious difficulty. A workshop can be held by few (here: two) persons, but it causes relatively huge costs as for the location or technical equipment.