ورقة أولية عن معسكرات الإعلام الحر/English

Alternative media camp

Background and Rationale

Freedom of information and expression constitute not only a cornerstone value held by the Arab Digital Expression Foundation (ADEF), but is also one domain where the ADEF community actively engages in, working toward its enhancement and development both through direct implementation of programs and advocacy. Freedom of information and expression is a core cross-cutting value in all of ADEF’s work.

Within this context, and in light of increasing spread and role of social media in specific, and alternative media in general, the links between freedom of information and expression and alternative media cannot be overlooked. The eruption of the Arab uprisings and the surrounding social media revolutions have proven that a certain message evolves and crystallizes when formulated collectively and published through accessible platforms. This communication process is only richer when it engages and inspires others to formulate their opinion and express them. This process is not necessarily available in the context of institutional mainstream media and has particularly strived in the context of online spaces, and more specifically with the sprawling of online social media. Media initiatives have thrived around this model of communication and often have a different story to tell than the uni-directional media.

But there are challenges to this process, which include control by the state, a generally conservative social climate, and the misconception that quality expression should only be practiced by professionals. Lack of financial resources, unrefined skills and talents, geographic misfortunes such as being out of the capital in a highly centralized ecosystem, absence of adequate production and display venues, along with difficulties in accessing distribution and publishing networks, only compound the problem. The program’s interventions are structured to target these issues on the practice level keeping in mind the infrastructural and trying to target it throw others interventions.

The Evolution of Social and Alternative Media

The early 2000s witnessed a significant change in how media were perceived and used. The early social networking sites like dating sites and forums can be considered the predecessors of what we now know as social networking platforms. Through their enabling networking and communication features, they paved the way for the participation and contribution of regular citizens in developing some media content across the globe. Around 2003 a diversity of more sophisticated platforms and gadgets were introduced such as LinkedIn, Hi5, and MySpace. These platforms literally took the movement to another level and created different channels of communication and networking amongst Internet users.

A major landmark in the history of Alternative Media as whole and social networking in specific was the launching of Facebook in 2004. It created the space and demand for other types of alternative media such as in Media Sharing like Flicker and Revver (2004), and YouTube (2005). The other major leap was in the introduction of platforms and gadgets allowing for real-time updates, life streaming and life-casting in 2006 through Twitter, UStream.tv, and Justin.tv, followed by Tumblr and Bambuser in 2007. The use of all these platforms and tools has been reported to have been used extensively throughout the past years and the impact large. The trend has been set and normal citizens have become real stakeholders and owners. The growing movement and the increasing popularity of the use of internet and social media by regular people to report on events, have access to data and media materials in an unprecedented way, the ability of citizens to both analyze information, add their own opinion led to the coining of the term ‘Citizen Journalism’. This called for several interventions implemented in recent years aiming at enabling citizens to use media as a tool of free expression. The focus of such earlier intervention seemed to center on developing skills, professional values, definition of legal rights, and the development of new forms, such as investigative journalism.

Having been part of a larger network and being partners with a vast number of collectives, initiatives and individuals in the media field, ADEF was able to conclude, that the results of many interventions remained limited especially those implemented under the umbrella of either the state or businessmen owned press. This can be held especially true in a society going through a process of major change, and where glorifying the values of neutrality and lack of interest in a media message, remained, to some extent, illusionary.

While mainstream media remain in control of shaping public opinion in Egypt, it’s no longer a solo player and at different times, it’s being contested by independent and autonomous practices. The diversity and contestation presented by non-mainstream media are particularly relevant in an ever politically dynamic context of post-revolution Egypt. The abundance of technological tools that rendered the notion of citizen-generated media possible has made this contestation process possible.

ADEF’s direct experience shows that inspiring groups of people are those rooted in their communities, being eager to deliver their voices. Those become our main target audience: young people driven by different objectives and ideals than those of mainstream media organizations. They seek to use journalistic practices but rely on alternative sources of legitimacy such as being on the ground and being free from anyone’s limited political agenda. These groups do not identify themselves as separate from their community; they create their media in interaction with it.

project description

• Curriculum development for training

In a highly dynamic field such as citizen journalism, one that should be able respond to demands of users on a daily basis, the development of state of the art training material and curricula is an ongoing process. It needs to take into account findings extracted from experience with old technology and cater for needs relevant to emerging technologies and practices. The project will undertake curriculum development activities in radio-, video-, and photojournalism, online newspaper layout and design, as well as journalistic writing, caricature and social media...

• Each year, according to the program designed in the previous step, 16 young media professionals aged 20 to 40 will be trained, in two phases, on radio-, video-, and photojournalism, online newspaper layout and design, as well as journalistic writing, caricature and social media... and be given tools (open source) and the know-how for the purpose of expression, in a one week training of trainers immediately preceding the execution of each of the two camps and in which participate also camp staff, sports and arts trainers.

• The trainers will then train youth activists aged 18-30 coming from their own communities, on the same program for one week under the supervision and guidance of program organizers. The one-week is simply the Alternative Media Camp in which number of extensive and diversified training workshops will be conducted to enable young participants to develop skills, master tools, produce, publish, distribute, and build their capacity and will be organized twice annually by 30 trainers and camp staff for 80 youth activists who will go home and continue from there, with their local mentors and produce further works of expression.

• The result of this project will be an energizing and positive Arab youth platform, available for all to watch or to take part in chats and sharing of information and artistic expression.

• Alternative Media Camp will be repeated each year twice to ensure continuity, and a funding model will be developed.

• The duration of the project is two years and will target young activists from different geographic areas.