This entry is another in a series of interviews from across the world with journalists and those who are interested in journalism. Florian Witulski has been using digital media to cover the recent political upheaval in Thailand. I received his responses several days ago, and below is an edited version of our e-mail interview.

Butler: Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from, why are you currently in Thailand, and what’s your background in journalism?

Florian: My name is Florian Witulski. I am a freelance Journalist and Journalism student in Bangkok, Thailand. I moved to Bangkok 2.5 years ago to study, travel and get work experience in an international climate of a growing capital in the heart of Southeast Asia. Since I was very young, I always had the passion to report and present news, experience, and views on various topics. I love to amaze people, show them different view points and contribute to a better understanding between cultures. My greatest passion is traveling. I have been to nearly fifty countries all over the world now and still can’t get enough of new cultural, historical and also political views on life.

Butler: I’ve been following your coverage of the recent upheavals in Thailand through Twitter and your blog. How are you tailoring your coverage to fit a digital platform? What news gathering tools are you using?

Florian: Media, especially Internet-based communications, are a great way to deliver information. Immediate uploads of pictures, videos and news makes Twitter and blogs the best gateway for detailed and up-to-date coverage on any topic! You can reach people all over the world in just a few clicks and give them the feeling that they are actually at the scene of actions while sitting in front of the screen. I am taking pictures and videos during the protests in Bangkok and uploading them to my blog and Twitter account. Mobile Internet connections make it possible to publish immediately to news agencies and spread information and footage right after something is happening. After publishing on my blog, I often had problems with the capacity because my server was not used to thousands of people in a short period of time, but I got great feedback and could answer questions for people from all over the world.

Butler: Describe a harrowing moment for you as a journalist covering this dangerous situation. Weren’t you shot in the arm?

Florian: During the coverage of the violence in the last weeks, I experienced several situations which have been very dangerous. I am very aware of being in an area of violence but on the 10th of April I had very bad luck and got shot by the police in my right arm. I don’t regret this situation but I am looking forward to do a hostile environment training soon. After that incident I was much more careful and planned steps ahead. I have seen many dead people and the most terrifying moment was on the 16th of May where a protester got shot in his knee right in front of me. While I was behind a stable wall he was running over the street and caught a bullet. He was lying on the floor and I couldn’t help him because I was scared. With the help of some soldiers and medics we could move him out of the dangerous zone a bit later, and he is fine now. What is really important to say is that I always wear a Kevlar helmet, jacket and a clear sign that I am not part of the conflict. A lot of curious freelancers and tourists have been injured by just running through the hot spots without protection or a press patch. All in all I would never risk my life for taking a good picture or video but some journalists think differently.

Butler: Please describe the current situation in Thailand and why you believe it is important to cover what is happening there.

Florian: The violence calmed down in the last days and there is still a curfew this week to clean up rally sites and taking a slow turn back to a normal life in Bangkok. Many citizens are happy, most tourists are back and also a lot of foreign journalists are moving out of the country, but the political conflict is far away from a happy ending. Actually the crackdown on the protesters was no political solution. Businesses can go on, people can work again but the political struggle is still the same. It is very important to report about this crisis because Thai Media have limited freedom of speech and most things just don’t reach an international platform. For me personally it is very important to stay as objective as possible. During the last weeks I saw a lot of very unbalanced reports by major news networks which was very sad. There is definitely no civil war in Thailand, but on the other hand, it is also not the same country as it used to be. It is hard to stay focused in a complex political situation like this. It is not just red vs. yellow. There are much more factors like education, corruption and power which play a leading role in this crisis.

We all have complaints about US government officials stonewalling journalists. And we don’t want any government interference in our profession.

But every now and then, the US government does something right.

Actually they have been doing something right for a while.

More than 10 years ago (not sure exactly when, but it was at least 10 years ago) the Agency for International Development started programs to help train journalists in emerging democracies. The program was designed to help journalists who worked under communist or other form of dictatorship to be independent journalists.

Sometimes the courses were as simple as interviewing techniques. (Think about it. In China and Cuba no one asks questions of the government. They just take dictation.) Other times, the courses were more detailed, such as how to get and use a freedom of information law.

There are a lot of programs AID runs – and we, the SPJ, should be looking at ways we can link into some of those programs either as trainers or as hosts of foreign journalists invited to the States by AID or other government agencies.

But that is another issue the committee is taking up.

Below is an example of how AID is helping journalists in Georgia — the country, not the US state. The event not only is helping Georgian news media get information out about the election — helping sponsor the debate — but it is also making the whole electoral process more open and transparent.

The following is from Media.ge, which receives support from the US_AID and other international organizations.

Elections 2010 Live TV Debates on Channel 9 on May 27

27 May, 2010 – 17:27

Internews, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Akhaltsikhe-based Channel 9 present pre-election political TV debates Elections 2010.

The debates will be aired live on Channel 9 on May 27 at 22:00 hrs.

The TV debates will be also available online at: http://www.internews.ge/ka/archevnebi2010. Users will be able to pose questions online to the participants of the debates.

TV debates are being organized within the Internews project, which aims at improving the quality of upcoming local elections, which must be achieved through increased involvement of local population and ensuring their informed choice. TV debates are to be held in 15 regional TV stations, the project covers 18 towns and settlements. The first debates were held at Borjomi-based Borjomi TV, Khoni-based Mega TV, Kutaisi-based Rioni, Ozurgeti-based Guria TV, Batumi-based Channel 25, Poti-based 9th Wave, Senaki-based Egrisi TV, Tsalenjikha-based Jikha, Telavi-based Tanamgzavri, Lagodekhi-based LTV, Gori-based Trialeti TV and Gurjaani-based Gurjaani TV.
Below please view the schedule of upcoming TV debates in various regional TV stations:
-May 27, at 22:00 – debates on Channel 9 TV station (Akhaltsikhe);
-May 28, at 19:00 – debates on Argo TV station (Zestaponi).

The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism has a new study on Old and New Media.

For a general discussion of the whole report, go to the DC SPJ site: Pew Report: Old Media/New Media

For this group, however, I found the section on where bloggers and Tweeters get their foreign (non-USA) news interesting.

Rather than repeat the long-ish article I posted on my blog, I am just going to link to it here: Pew report shows gap in international views of old and new media

The bottom line for me is that people who are interested and engaged in international affairs or the events in countries other than the United States, turn to non-American news organizations. For me, this is an example of how the U.S. media are failing to understand the connection between local and international events. (I mean really, think about it, what does the “B” in “BP” stand for?)

I was recently reading through The Sofia Echo, an English-language newspaper in Bulgaria, when I came across this short article about Ursula Kirk’s efforts to start a journalism group in Samokov.  She’s a New Jersey native who graduated with a degree in Economics from Florida A&M University. Because she is tackling a journalism project, I was intrigued about her efforts, so I asked Ursula if she wouldn’t mind filling us in on some of her experiences. She agreed, and here’s an edited version of our e-mail interview.

Butler: How about providing a little background of yourself. What are you doing in Bulgaria?

Ursula: I am a 28-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Bulgaria under the Community and Organizational Development program. I have been here for one year and I still have one more year left to my service. I am stationed in a medium-sized town named Samokov, which is about 55 kilometers (roughly 35 miles) located southeast of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. I had anticipated being placed in Africa, so when I got my invitation to serve in Bulgaria, I must say I was very surprised as it was not at all expected. I had my reservations about Eastern Europe, but the longer I am here, the more I am happy with my being assigned to Bulgaria. And although Bulgaria is definitely not without its own challenges, overall this is an experience I am really learning from.

Butler: Tell me about the journalism group that you’ve been forming. What will its members do, and what is your goal for the group?

Ursula: I work with a new NGO in Bulgaria called Tolerance for Everyone, and the primary mission of the organization is to promote peaceful relationships between the ethnic Bulgarians and the minority Roma youth here in Samokov. One of my responsibilities here is to help out with the under 10-year-old girls basketball team and occasionally the under 12. I wanted to develop some type of small project to work on with them – not related to sports, not necessarily related to school, something that they can take complete ownership over, and something to encourage greater community involvement – something of significance that will actually add value to the community as well as their personal development.

The newsletter idea came about because out of the seven or so schools here in Samokov, I have only seen one with a newsletter. And from what the girls tell me, it is supposed to be monthly but is not always so. I knew that a newsletter would also encourage them to be more aware of important events that are going on both domestically and internationally. I was surprised at how little they knew and how they don’t discuss these things in school. Finally, I feel that the newsletter could serve as a forum for the girls to express themselves, to explore their creativity and to give them and the other young girls here in Samokov a voice on issues that will affect them.

Butler: Can you describe the state of journalism in Bulgaria right now? What have you noticed about how things are (or are not) covered by local, national, or international media there?

Ursula: Journalism is relatively underdeveloped here and understandably so. Just as of 1989, Bulgaria underwent significant political change. Prior to [that], certain liberties were very much suppressed and access to the global community was limited. I have no journalist experience but newspapers, magazines and news broadcasting radio and television stations were a very consistent part of my daily life. So being here in Bulgaria, a country served by just two national papers, I have come to realize what the state of journalism in a nation implies about that country’s state of development.

Butler: The Sofia Echo reported that you were hoping to get a donated printer for your publication. Have you acquired one yet?

Ursula: I have not managed to secure a printer yet. Surprisingly, it is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. I had contacted American organizations that have a presence here in Bulgaria, as well as made an attempt through the public sector to try and get a printer donated, but to no avail. I know that fundraising in general is a challenge here, but I didn’t realize that obtaining equipment would prove to be as challenging. So as of now, I am still on the search for a printer.

Cross posted with Journalism, Journalists and the World.

Got a Tweet from Adam Savage (he of Mythbusters fame) about a person in Washington, D.C. trying to help a couple of Russian women who seem to be caught up in a trafficking in persons (TIP) case.

Help me help my friend in DC

Chances are the women got in way over their heads or are just naive. But from the description in the postings, this is clearly a case of trafficking.

What is interesting in the stream of messages is the list of LOCAL operations to help people caught up in this disgusting practice.

Generally when one thinks of TIP, images of Asian or Haitian children being sold into prostitution someplace other than the USA comes to mind. It is much more than that. And it takes place in the States.

As the links in this message stream point out, it is so serious that police agencies IN the US have special offices to deal with the issue.

So, where do these people come from and how pervasive is it in the States?

Hard to tell from the the US media. Maybe a few enterprising reporters could look into it. Nailing down a LOCAL story along these lines could help build (and maybe even save) a journalist’s career.

The recession and massive budget deficits are causing no end of pain in the U.S. school systems. Teachers are being laid off and those places that are hiring are getting flooded with applications.

New York Times: Teachers Facing Weakest Market in Years

But where are the stories that talk about an alternative to looking for work in the States?

Rest of story.

IFEX points out that of the latest additions to the United Nations Human Rights Council, five countries have dismal human rights records: Angola, Libya, Malaysia, Thailand and Uganda.

New members elected to UN Human Rights Council include five human rights violators

What else would you expect? China and Cuba are on the committee as well. And we all know what a great track record these countries have in human rights.

In fact, Reporters Without Borders notes that the presence of China and Cuba on the committee for years has shown that the argument of putting less democratic, less human rights loving countries on the committee will help change them is a non-starter.

Why should reporters in the United States care? And even more, why should local news organizations care?

Outside of the fact that this is information that helps figure out how the world works — or doesn’t — there are local angles that can be looked at.

Not all immigrants to the United States — legal or otherwise — come for economic reasons. Some — many — come for political reasons. And running away for political reasons usually includes human rights issues.

So, how about the immigrant communities that are growing in every town and city in the United States? What are the stories from these immigrants about why they came to the States?

If a reporter goes a Mexican immigrant group in Texas or an Indian group in Fairfax County, Va., chances are the main story will be one of coming for economic reasons — jobs. (But there are a growing number of Mexicans fleeing the drug wars as well.) But how about the Somalian Ethiopian community in Minneapolis? Or the growing Venezuelan community in Northern Virginia? Or the Vietnamese community in Louisiana?

Those are just off the top of my head. A reporter with an ounce of curiosity might be able to find out more in his/her own community.

So there is a reason to look at the human rights situations in other countries. Violations elsewhere in the world often lead to larger immigration to the United States. It is the duty of LOCAL reporters to get the reasons why people are moving into LOCAL areas and affecting LOCAL businesses and LOCAL politics. But all that LOCAL! LOCAL! LOCAL! can’t be covered unless there is also an understanding of the rest of the world.

Here are some additional organizations to help understand the human rights situation in the world:

• Freedom House
• Amnesty International
• Human Rights Watch
• International Labor Organization

First posted at Journalism, Journalists and the World

Journalists — and the very nature of journalism itself — are under threat in Russia.

The New York Times this week published an article detailing some of the ridiculous circumstances some Russian journalists are dealing with on a daily basis.

Beatings. Trumped up criminal charges. Intimidation. Corrupt politicians and law enforcement. And, of course, murder.

The article has no happy ending, no “I’ll keep standing and fight” attitude. The ugly truth is that these reporters and editors are being broken by a system that is specifically designed to break them.

And it is working.

First, let me say that I am married to a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Most of our friends are FSOs. And many have been on board with the idea that civil and human rights are best protected by a vigorous and free press.

It is with a certain amount of joy that I see Pres. Obama is ready to sign the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act.

The new law requires the State Department identify countries where there are violations of press freedom and determine whether government authorities of those countries participate in, facilitate or condone the violations. The State Department will also have to report on the actions of governments to preserve the safety and independence of news media and ensure the prosecution of those who attack or murder journalists.

What seems to be new is the last requirement.

The State Department already includes media freedom in its annual Human Rights report. The reports include repression of free media or harassment of journalists. What is new is that pressure is to be applied on governments that do not move on the killers of journalists. (Just what kind of pressure that could be used is unclear to me. So this may end up being another chest-thumping but toothless provision.)

Requirements to punish national governments for local actions could also be a problem. For example, in Mexico it is quite clear that local authorities have dragged their heels in investigating the killings of Mexican journalists along the northern border. At the same time, however, the national government has pushed for the arrest and prosecution of the killers.

Do we punish the country because of some local crooks?

For my money, the law is a reaffirmation of a basic tenant of American policy: a free and independent press is vital to a stable and democratic system of government. (And that is why the dictators in China and Iran are so afraid of free media.)

This re-affirmation is good not only because it reminds the rest of the world what is important to us but it also can help remind people in the US international communities (not just the folks at State) what is important to America.

A free press may make governance a bit more difficult but it is vital to any democracy.

Twenty-first century reporting and 12th century rituals often clash. And in Pakistan this clash has led to the death of another journalist.

Journalist found dead after revealing tribal marriage customs

Reporters Without Borders reports the death of Ghulam Rasool Birhamani, who worked for Sindhi-language newspaper Sindhu in the Dadu district.

Birhamani had just completed an article about the marriage of a 20-year-old woman to a 10-year-old boy. Arranged marriages such as this, are a tradition among the tribes in Sindh province to settle disputes.

The journalists received threats from tribal members following the publishing of his article. Within days Birhamani was reported missing. He was then found with torture marks on his body and fatal head injuries.

He is the second journalist killed in Sindh province this year and the fourth in the country.

Shamsul Isam Naz, secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, told the International Press Institute there was no doubt Birhamani was killed because of his reporting.

“He was killed because the influential persons of the area did not like his reporting on women’s rights and the empowerment of women,” he said.

“He was threatened quite a few times.”

According to the Pakistan Press Foundation, Birhamani had received threats some days before to the kidnapping after he reported on the underage marriage of a girl from the Lashari tribe.

So, besides the dangers of being killed during battles with the Taliban or in terrorists attacks, Pakistan’s journalists also have to be watchful of groups not interested in entering the 21st Century.

I wonder, however, why we are not seeing reporting in the Western media about not only the threats to Pakistan’s journalists but also about these tribal issues. Surely this type of tribal arrogance and exercise of intimidation is just as important to understanding the war against terrorism as looking up the background of a kid who lived in Connecticut who locked himself out of his own car.

First posted at Journalism, Journalists and the World.