Media Blackout in Kenya – Mobile Phones play a vital role in covering Kenya Elections.
AfricaNews.com makes use of internet enabled mobile phones to report on the election crisis in Kenya. Local African journalist, with advanced mobile phone and a portable keyboard, collect text, photo and short video on the events in Kenya as they unfold. The reporters use their mobile phone to publish their reports to www.africanews.com. This is the first time the concept of a mobile journalist has been introduced in Africa.
Internet and mobile technology play an increasingly important role in the monitoring of local situations. The collection and spread of information has long been dominated by a small elite. The rise of internet and mobile technology offers new opportunities in the reporting process and play a vital role in the spread of information.
As in Kenya, many governments work to control the spread of information via control over the radio, TV, newspapers and internet. The mobile phone, as seen in Kenya, is the most important means for gathering and spreading information.
Africa Interactive is the online publisher of AfricaNews.com. Africa Interactive is based in the Netherlands and maintains a regional office in Nairobi (Kenya). Africa Interactive produces and manages websites, e-magazines, weblogs, photography, video’s and news over Africa. Africa Interactive now has more than 90 African journalists, photographers and film makers who contribute from more than 25 African countries.
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