Congratulations go to KIMEP journalism student Kairzhan Yegizbayev, who won second prize in the neweurasia.net Best Central Asian Blog 2007 competition. The award was based on Kairzhan's Kazakh weblog, which he runs using Wordpress. Good job, Kairzhan!

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sponsored a February 25 roundtable in Astana where Kazakhstani government officials, non-governmental organizations, media representatives and others met to discuss the law on mass media currently being developed in Kazakhstan.

An announcement of the event posted on the OSCE website includes a link to an OSCE-commissioned analysis of the draft law.

Hi everyone,

I'm Frederick Emrich, the instructor for the course. As I told you in class, I've been using networked technologies in my teaching for several years now. I'm looking forward to an enjoyable term working with all of you. Have fun and work hard, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

In an entry at Teaching Online Journalism, Mindy McAdams offers an important perspective on what journalism students need to know to get a job in the future--and that knowledge is digital. She writes:  read more »

On May 17, the government of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee officially charged the opposition newspaper Taz'zhargan under the country's criminal laws against "insulting the honor and dignity of the president," according to a joint action alert from Adil Soz, a Kazakhstan-based foundation promoting free speech, and from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). According to the report, the charges come as a result of the paper's republication of stories that ran in the New York Times and in a Turkish newspaper in 2005 and 2006.

The Adil Soz/IFEX action alert classifies the charges as a threat to freedom of expression in the country.

Today is World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside by the United Nations as "an occasion to inform the public of violations of the right to freedom of expression and as a reminder that many journalists brave death or jail to bring people their daily news." UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day 2007 website is a good starting point for marking the day...

In an article for Transitions Online, Evgeny Morozov describes the case of Denis Denisov, a Belarusian political activist who was arrested in February for distributing flyers calling for non-violent protest against the government. Two months later he was released on bail, an action which Morozov credits to financial and moral support generated by Belarussian bloggers. ("Blogs: The New Frontier in Human Rights," 27 April 2007)  read more »

At neweurasia Kazakhstan, Leila has been talking to Kazakhstani experts about blogging, the internet, and citizen journalism. So far she has posted interviews with:  read more »