Blog Revolution

Journalist and author Antony Loewenstein who has just release a book title “ The Blogging Revolution” , which talks about the power of blogging in six different countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt did an interview on ABC radio interview. Over the past decades industrial revolution has marked a major turning point in human society in almost in every aspect, but here comes the new blogging revolution where people use their social power of the internet to communicate with each other and outside the world. Bloggers are quietly bringing changes, by using modern technology to bring about a more open-minded or at least self-governing transformation. People at countries such as Cuba or Iran which are hated by the west also has access to the internet, but with restrictions control by the government.

The issue arising here is the freedom of speech and internet censorship. Many journalists around the world have been jailed or suffered form brutal consequence for criticizing bout their government. According to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of journalists jailed worldwide for their work increased for the second consecutive year, and they are mostly Internet blogger, online editor, or Web-based reporter.

Based on the source http://www.cpj.org/, most of these journalists were abducted from their homes after their work has been published due to criticizing their government or publishing unsure political events which the government believes to be “offensive to the state institution and publish information that could harm the national unity.

Based on my opinion, everybody should have the freedom of speech but not be restricted by the government. As a journalist, I felt that people have the right to express or write about their opinion, as I always asked myself why the government should have the rights to clamp down all articles criticizing about them just because of their pride and image and then just putting the blame that it will harm the national unity. I do feel that internet censorship do play as an important role if the government were censoring negative issues that are threats in the protection of the community.

Reference:

ABC Fora 2008, The Blogging Rvolution [Online, accessed 4 November 2008].

URL: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/fora/stories/2008/10/23/2392620.htm

Committee to Protect Journalists 2006, Journalists in Prison 2006 [Online, accessed 27 Oct 2008].
URL: http://www.cpj.org/attacks06/pages06/imprison_06.html