International

PONAR: Call for Participation

This document lists the various groups I am inviting for assistance on the PONAR (Protocol for Online Abuse Reporting) project. As I get endorsements and sponsors I will update this document.

Ordinary folks who are the aggrieved parties

I was directly motivated to start this effort based on conversations over the years with people who have been the victims of online abuse and harassment. I have expressed some of the early formative ideas of PONAR to members of victim's aid group are taking their considerations quite seriously.

Waking up to UN Reform

I wanted to start the new year if with a modest proposal. But it would be immodest without some proper background. The subject for today is UN Reform, because here at Civilities we occasionally distract ourselves from the mechanics of media structures to find out how they apply in the real world, and furthermore whether there is any course of action we might take to better mankind.

The New York Times begins the year by giving an update on such a modest proposal: Officials at U.N. Seek Fast Action on Rights Panel. Paraphrasing the article, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan explains thus: some countries participate “not to strengthen human rights but to protect themselves against criticism or to criticize others” with the consequence being that “a credibility deficit has developed, which casts a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole.” The position of the United States, according to Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Kristen Silverberg, is “to improve the membership criteria so that countries like Zimbabwe and Sudan were not eligible.”

Shoot the Press: Responding to the Eason Jordan Controversy

Should we care about what happens in a global forum planning the future of the world? Would we care more if our actions, or inactions, affect larger events?

Personal reaction to the tsunami disaster news

I suppose it is a bit unfair to judge others about their initial response to the tsunami, without posting my own thoughts.

Online Political Writers: Reactions to the Tsunami Catastrophe

When an earthquake and a tsunami hit and cause deaths in the tens of thousands, what should a blogger do?. There's three broad things that a media publication address: honor the victims; provide relief for the survivors; consider how to mitigate the risk for the future. I have reviewed the responses from the last three days of 25 online political writers (bloggers and columnists). I wasn't expecting much, as I had picked those who cover on the American political scene (some of the "independents," as I call them, actually dabble in many subjects). But this is a global world, after all, and it is cataclysmic events like this which should bring out the best in writers.
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