GoogleIndian journalist wrestles Google Digital Activism award win from Edward Snowden

Indian journalist wrestles Google Digital Activism award win from Edward Snowden

Indian journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary, has beat high profile whistle-blower Edward Snowden and other nominees to win the Google Digital Activism 2014 for his CGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh) phone service. The recognition is part of the Index Freedom of Expression Awards which applauds nominees’ achievements in the fields of arts, advocacy, digital activism and journalism.

CGNet Swara is built to work even on basic mobile phones. It lets users listen to and report local news in their own language. Citizens who wish to bring people’s attention to something that is happening in their neighborhood, can call on a provided number and submit their report.

Shubhranshu Choudhary

These messages are then moderated before being made accessible over mobiles and the internet. IBNLive says that the CGNet Swara receives almost 500 stories a day, out of which 50 are recorded and 5 are finally broadcast. The aim is to allow even people who don’t have access to technologies beyond a basic phone to play the role of citizen journalists.

“Time has come like politics, journalism also needs to become everybody’s business. And it is possible,” declared Shubhranshu Choudhary, while accepting the award. Choudhary believes that it is necessary for more people to take active part in journalism, instead of leaving a few to do it, if they want to preserve democracy and live in a peaceful society.

The other names which were on the list of nominees for the Google Digital Activism award include Free Weibo that is an alternate to China’s heavily censored SinaWeibo social network, TAILS OS and Edward Snowden, of course.

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