Burma coverage by the BBC, Al Jazeera
I am saddened to see that the military has again gone against the will of the people in Burma. The BBC’s online coverage continues to be inspiring; they are getting video and live reports (audio) from an “undercover reporter” inside the country. Reports from citizens have turned grim.
This report, although coming out of Bangkok, really engaged me with its personal tone. You can listen to it online, download it, or read the complete transcript. I found it very interesting to compare the experience of hearing it to that of reading it. Writing for radio is different from writing for print, but this transcript reads beautifully.
The internet is buzzing with reports, or rumours, about feuding generals and individual units refusing to take part in the attacks on monks. But it is not yet clear how much of that is wishful thinking, and besides, right now there seem to be plenty of units that are ready to obey orders. (From Andrew Harding, BBC News, Bangkok)
Al Jazeera English is also doing a good job covering the story in Burma. Their video (on YouTube) is the best I’ve seen. The compression is bad, but the reporting is first-rate.
Hi Mindy and readers -
October 1, 2007 at 5:51 amThe BBC report you refer to above is from the Radio 4 series ‘From Our Own Correspondent’. The format is simple: first person accounts from BBC reporters around the world, narrated entirely by the report his/herself (ie without sound clips or other actuality). It is one of BBC Radio’s longest running programmes and a real jewel of the schedule (and yes, in the interests of full disclosure, it is produced by the BBC Current Affairs department, which is where I work). The website is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stm
I agree: “A real jewel of the schedule.” I am very grateful that I can listen to these programs individually, without needing to subscribe or download them! They are so interesting — and they help bridge the gap in international reporting that we suffer under here in the United States.
October 1, 2007 at 9:05 amI thought this article on citizen journalism in Burma was interesting considering the restrictions placed on journalists in that region and our current pursuit in J-Toolkit to keep professional blogs.
October 1, 2007 at 2:06 pm[...] of participatory journalism in mainstream news sites we tend to take the exception for the rule. Burma’s coverage by the BBC, the Minnesota bridge collapse i-Reports at CNN and beyond… They are singular [...]
August 17, 2008 at 1:50 pm