Syrian Citizen Journalists and Activists Capture 2012 Netizen Prize

This year's Netizen Prize was awarded to the Media Center of Syria's Local Coordination Committee. The award was accepted by Jasmine, a Syrian activist living in Canada.

On March 12, 2012 Syrian citizen journalists and activists were awarded the 2012 Reporters Without Borders Netizen Prize, sponsored by Google.

The Media Center of the Local Coordination Committees brings together groups of citizen journalists to collect and disseminate, in real time, information and images of Syria’s uprising. Jasmine, a 27-year-old Syrian activist who now lives in Canada, accepted the award on behalf of the activists inside of the country.

Photo: Reporters Without Borders

“The Netizen Prize proves that our voices were heard and that we succeeded in delivering the stories of millions of Syrians who are struggling on the ground to achieve what they have always dreamed — to live in freedom and dignity,” Jasmine said. “Thank you for acknowledging our presence as an active and effective media organization.”

Syrian journalists and bloggers are threatened and arrested by the government. International news organizations are, for the most part, kept out of the country. In their absence, the committees are almost the only way to keep the world abreast of the violence wracking the country. They emerged spontaneously following the start of the Syrian revolution last March, bringing together human rights activists and local journalists, and now are found in most cities and towns across the country.

Informants on the ground send information and the committees confirm it from multiple sources. A third group translates the news into English and distributes it on the group’s website. Videos and pictures are posted on Facebook and on a photo blog.

“There are millions of stories that made us cry, laugh, get mixed emotions since the uprising began,” Jasmine explained “We were talking to a mother of three detainees and she made us promise each other that no matter what, we will never stop covering the events of our beloved Syria.”

The number of arrested netizens has increased 30% since 2010. Five were killed in 2011. This is the highest level of violence against netizens ever recorded. More than 120 netizens are currently in jail for keeping us informed. –RSF

The award was distributed on World Day Against Cyber Censorship at a ceremony in Paris. 2012 nominees came from around the globe, from Russia to Syria to Brazil, China and beyond. Their geographic diversity is a reflection of the growing impact of the Net.

But freedom of information remains fragile and digital segregation increases. Reporters Without Borders has counted 200 cases of netizens arrests in 2011, up 30% over the previous year. Five were killed. This is the highest level of violence against netizens ever recorded. More than 120 netizens are currently in jail for keeping us informed.

“Netizens are more and more persecuted also because they have become instrumental in the news gathering process” said Dominique Gerbaud, President of Reporters Without Borders. “Governments are clamping down with increasingly sophisticated methods of censorship, surveillance and repression. More than ever, Reporters Without Borders is proud to have established with Google’s support an award that recognizes and rewards the courage of netizens.”

Google products are blocked in about 25 of 125 countries in which the company operates. Forty countries engage in active censorship, up from four a decade ago. “The Internet allows courageous individuals in Syria and elsewhere to tell their story to the world,” said Google France President Jean-Marc Tassetto. “The Netizen Prize and our work with Reporters Without Borders testifies to our belief that access to information will lead to greater freedom and greater social and economic development.”

Watch Jasmine speak to AFP about citizen journalism in Syria: