CGNet Swara: Difference between revisions

'''CGnet Swara''' is an [[India]]n voice-based online portal that allows people in the forests of [[Chhattisgarh]] to report local news in [[Gondi language|Gondi]] by making a phone call. The portal is freely accessible via mobile phone or online. It allows anyone to report stories and listen to them by giving a missed call. Reported stories are moderated by journalists and become available for playback online as well as over the phone. It is founded by journalist, Shubhranshu Choudhary. For the project, Choudhary won the Digital Activism Award in 2014 from the Index on Censorship beating [[Edward Snowden]] and China's [[FreeWeibo|Free Weibo]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Journalist-Shubhranshu-Choudhary-wins-Digital-activism-award/articleshow/32373113.cms|title=Journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary wins 'Digital activism award'|last=Chatterjee|first=Mohua|date=2014-03-20|website=The Times of India|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/tech/mobile/india-mobile-citizen-journalism/index.html|title=Phone journalism gives a voice to India's rural poor|last=Hume|first=Tim|date=2012-02-22|website=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/journalism-should-become-everyones-business/a-17513443|title=Journalism should become everyone's business|last=Krishnan|first=Murali|date=2014-03-21|website=Deutsche Welle|language=en-GB|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref>

Choudhary was a journalist with the [[BBC World Service]]. He left his job and joined the Knight International Journalism Fellowship. He took help from [[Microsoft]] Principal Researcher Bill Thies to develop a cell phone based news and current affairs portal. He launched CGNet Swara with the help of [[Microsoft Research|Microsoft Research India]] in 2010. He trained people in the local community to produce audio news reports using their cell phone. Reports on local land issues, sanitation, health, crime and human rights were made using the service.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/18/cgnet-swara-is-using-bluetooth-to-source-content-and-share-news-with-indian-villages/|title=CGNet Swara is using Bluetooth to source content and share news with Indian villages|last=Rezwan|date=2020-01-18|website=Global Voices|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref>