Citizen Journalist Website Receives Prestigious Award
Congratulations to non-profit organisation Ushahidi for winning the 2012 “Anvil of Freedom” award from Denver University’s Estlow Center for Journalism and New Media.
Since 2007 the citizen-powered website has allowed users to crowdsource information about humanitarian crises to enable individuals and journalists to find out what is going on during emergency situations and to help humanitarian organizations to respond quickly.
The award was accepted by Juliana Rotich, Ushahidi cofounder and executive director:
“[The award] is a big honor to the Ushahidi team and community and underscores our mission to change the way information flows and to empower people to use whichever devices they have available to bear witness to what is going on around them,” said Rotich.
Ushahidi, which translates as “testimony” in Swahili, began during the electoral violence in Kenya in 2007–08. News organizations cannot get everywhere, especially during crisis situations, so the website’s platform provides a central hub of information as users report via their cell phones and computers what is happening to them/near them. This information is uploaded almost in real time to interactive maps.
You can find out more about the work of Ushahidi in the video below:
“Ushahidi has been an important platform for citizen journalism, particularly in parts of the world where it can be difficult to get information quickly to those who need it most,” said Lynn Schofield Clark, Estlow Center director and an associate professor in DU’s Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies.
“They are filling an important need in communities that increasingly use mobile media and text messaging as primary means of communicating.”
Since its founding Ushahidi has been used in Haiti, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo amongst other places. It has also helped track cases of swine flu worldwide and chronicled storm-related problems in the north-eastern U.S. after Hurricane Irene.
The University of Denver’s Anvil of Freedom award honors organizations and individuals that demonstrate true leadership and commitment to democratic freedoms, ethics and integrity.
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