http://blogs.tol.org/wrap Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:38:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Back–after a summer hiatus! So last week, on a visit to a local pizzeria, I noticed that the guy making the pizzas was of Asian origin, perhaps Chinese, perhaps Vietnamese, perhaps another nationality. He spoke fluent Czech and seemed to be quite at home, joking with the other waiters as ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/08/31/going-multicultural/ The AP is running a story on a rather dreadful development in Azerbaijan: An Azerbaijani journalist has gone on a hunger strike to protest his prison sentence and stitched up his mouth to strengthen his demand, a media freedom activist said Monday. Faramaz Allahverdiyev, a reporter from the opposition Nota Bene newspaper, ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/25/all-sewn-up-azerbaijan%e2%80%99s-news-media/ An abrupt withdrawal of an article submission by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the respected international affairs journal, Foreign Affairs, has triggered an uneasy back and forth between Russian officials and editors at the publication. An interview by RFE/RL with Foreign Affairs editor James Hoge provides the take from ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/24/who%e2%80%99s-censoring-whom/ Anyone who thought the citizen media craze hasn’t been spreading to Central Europe should read the following, posted recently on the blog of the World Editors Forum: Croatia: Citizen journalists to play a big role in cross-platform “New Medium” project Europapress Holding has plans to launch “the New Medium,” a revolutionary news ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/23/citizen-media-in-croatia-2/ As many of you know TOL operates a blogging project in Central Asia along with our partners neweurasia. But we are gradually finding out about impressive initiatives in this part of our coverage region. One of these is a blog platform in Kyrgyzstan called Kloop, co-founded by Bektour Iskender. Bektour ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/23/and-in-central-asia%e2%80%a6/ Anyone who thought the citizen media craze hasn’t been spreading to Central Europe should read the following, posted recently on the blog of the World Editors Forum: Croatia: Citizen journalists to play a big role in cross-platform “New Medium” project Europapress Holding has plans to launch “the New Medium,” a revolutionary news ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/23/citizen-media-in-croatia/ Education reform in Russia is taking on a curious sheen, as a piece by Peter Finn in today’s Washington Post describes. The Russian authorities are seeking to have high school-level history and social studies teachers adopt the content of two manuals that have been created by Kremlin advisors. The history guide ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/21/educating-russia/ The discourse on encouraging the development of democratic institutions has become increasingly heated - and often confused - as autocratic governments have pushed back against efforts to assist local reformers. A provocative and thoughtful paper recently published by Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul under the auspices of the Stanley Foundation ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/20/promoting-or-demoting-democracy/ Before I forget, it’s worth checking out the excellent NPR program “On the Media” this week. It’s always good, but this week there are two segments from our region of coverage: Liberty Island Radio Liberty, once a crude propaganda tool designed to pierce the Iron Curtain, has remade itself into as ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/17/listen-to-on-the-media/ I’ve been meaning to write for a few days now with a small comment on a recent story that I wrote and we ran on the election of a new young mayor in Chisinau (”Fresh Face, New Hope“). The story started like this: Something remarkable, even inspiring, has happened in Eastern Europe. ... http://blogs.tol.org/wrap/2007/07/17/one-of-those-gushy-stories/