Media Censorship is Slowing Down the Wave of New Technology in Certain Countries

With the rise of the technological age across the globe has increasingly enhanced citizens' right to voice their thoughts and opinions on what is either occurring within the nation they reside in, or the world that surrounds them.

We have seen the powers of blogging in countries where its inhabitants did not have access to a source or platform in which they could report on topics and issues that need the attention. In Egypt, for instance, the usage of blogs and social media united individuals and human rights activists over police brutality, which was the cause of death of 28-year-old Khalid Said, and sparked national discussion and activism on social media.

Patrick Butler's 2007 article for the International Center for Journalists titled "New Technology, New Voices" touched upon how in nations, such as China and Iran whose governments censor information that is published over the Internet, scrambled more than ever to try to muzzle the voices of the blogosphere that was growing stronger and stronger.

A decade later, we have seen blogs build upon their prominence within the realm of citizen journalism. However, some countries have yet to fully reap the benefits of the technology the rest of the world is currently utilizing.

Last semester, I was enrolled in a course titled "Global Journalism." In this class, my classmates and I were assigned either one or multiple countries to report on throughout the semester. My professor assigned me the countries of Rwanda and South Africa.

I wrote an article on media censorship in Rwanda and how even though the country has made strides to mitigate media censorship, it is still quite prevalent. In fact, self-censorship is just as common among Rwandan journalists due to the constant hounding and threats by the government.

This, coupled with Rwandan's poor personal rights, has not bode well for bloggers and will not so long as President Paul Kagame and his regime do not loosen their stronghold of the media in the country.

According to the Social Progress Imperative index on Rwanda, Rwandans have strong scores on Internet access. But it is the government's actions and intimidations that prevent its citizens from voicing their perspectives. So until the ruling of the government loosens, Rwandans will continue to be silenced.