Highway Africa Conference: Citizen Journalism, Journalism for Citizens

The challenges in the production of media and its distribution impinge on the quality of journalism and the professionalism of journalists. The 2008 conference will seek to address a number of questions related to the goals of journalism in society and how the ordinary citizen fits within those goals as a consumer and producer.

The questions to be addressed include:

• What is Citizen Journalism?
• How does journalism serve citizens?
• What quality control exists in citizen journalism?
• What technology is driving citizen journalism?
• What are the African experiences of Citizen Journalism?
• 
  How should ‘traditional’ media respond to citizen journalism?
• 
  What is the ‘business model’ of citizen journalism?
• How is citizen journalism implicated in the democracy project?
• What should be the technical and journalistic skills of citizen journalists? What are the gender dynamics in citizen journalism, media ownership and
• What are the ethical issues arising from citizen journalism?
• 
  Is there a case for ‘converged journalism’ and multi-skilling of journalists in Africa?
• What is the role of free software and open source in supporting Africans to have a voice in cyberspace?
• Is mobile technology the future of journalism?

Via formal presentations, keynote addresses, workshops, interviews and practical
examples, the Highway Africa Conference will explore the challenges of print,
radio, television, online and multimedia.

Parallel and linked events will include the Highway Africa – SABC New Media Awards ceremony, the 3rd Digital Citizen Indaba, a training programme on advanced digital journalism, meetings of the Southern African National Editors Forum, The African Editors Forum and community radio representatives, a training workshop on the use of FLOSS in the newsroom, book launches and exhibitions.

The venue is the Rhodes University campus in Grahamstown, close to the South African city of Port Elizabeth. The conference is open to journalists, academics, bloggers, students, publishers and other interested media professionals. A limited number of scholarships will be made available for participants who are unable to cover their costs.