ABSTRACT
Global Voices is an international community of writers, bloggers, and digital activists that translates and reports on what is being said in citizen media worldwide. It is a Dutch non-profit project that started at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard in 2004. Their challenge is to comprehend how networked societies communicate. Global Voices seeks to build connectivity and understanding through: reporting in most of the world via an entirely virtual newsroom; translating stories into more than 40 languages; defending online rights and freedoms through the Advox project; and seeking to empower and support isolated and marginal communities with its Rising Voices project. Global Voices focuses on listening, rather than speaking, for anyone or seeking to be a “voice for the voiceless.” It acknowledges the power of those telling their stories. Societal and technological change has created shifts in the landscape for participatory news and, in 2018, the organisation declared that it had “reached a crossroads.” As a result, GV embarked on a major deliberative consultation within its community. The initial findings are shared here, with some ideas about future directions and goals.
