Don't stop reporting on the information society!

Alecks Pabico confirms that reporting on the information society is not easy.

He was just one of two Filipino journalists to attend the first phase of WSIS in Geneva, despite the fact that his country is “a major exporter of computer and technological components and whose professionals are prized for their software and creative skills”.

Since then he's received a fellowship from the Southeast Asian Press Alliance to report on Cambodia’s emerging information society – and he urges his fellow journalists to continue to cover these issues.

Read Alecks' post on the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism's blog

Comments

[Wairagala Wakabi]

I like the idea of Murali’s blog since it provides short, easy to quote/use material on key issues of the information society (IS). I think many times why some journalists are unable to write effectively on IS issues is not primarily because there are no sources (online, human, etc...) to refer to, but because the literature there may be is too complicated or too bulky, and the resource people often too cumbersome to get to, or too technical in their explanations. The tone and style of Murali’s blog provide journalists a solution to this.

Another idea I like is that of providing links to major concepts/ issues/events/people you refer to in your postings. That provides links to more resources which users of the website may need, but which you would not clog into your pieces. Both the links within the write-ups and at the bottom of the pieces are good, useful stuff. Perhaps a way of making the blog even more useful would be to link it back to the iwitness website, which has tools and information that expands the picture for journalists re the things that the blog is talking about. Making the blog searchable by Googlenews would be helpful too.

I believe journalists and researchers should find this website a vital stop for quotes, research and links to resources and issues. So I would gladly subscribe and make this the first ICT blog/RSS feed am subscribed to. Issues to do with inclusiveness (cost and accessibility of services, local content, gender & IS), Internet Governance, IPR, ICT Infrastructure, are issues I am eager to keep reading about, and I believe so should many other journalists and researchers in the South.

So keep the blog going and we will keep reading and feedbacking as much s we an.

Wakabi