Via Global Voices Online:
Mary Joyce writes about her excitment about the Election Blogging Guide coming to Armenia and the importance of blogging.
The following are extracts from the article posted at the CRD / TI Election Monitor 2007:
“…Election blogs form an important alternative space for people to talk about politics. Although traditional media such as television, radio, and the newspapers are often biased or are afraid to publish certain news, blogs offer an opportunity for free speech. Through anonymous blogging as described in the Guide, both bloggers and commentators can even speak more freely than the traditional media. In addition, bloggers can act as citizen journalists, reporting news on election irregularities and fraud which the traditional media might not be doing.
The audience for blogging in Armenia is growing. Internet use has increased significantly in the past few years. In 2000, only 1.3 percent of Armenians were internet users. Now approximately 7.5 percent of Armenians use the internet…”
