The CamBlog

My latest column for Partisans explores the use of graphic or violent imagery in journalism, especially in the wake of Muammar Gaddafi’s death. Are there cases when it is not advisable to publish pictures of death and suffering? Where is the line between education and sensationalism? I believe that good journalism challenges our preconceived notions [...]

This video is from December 2010, but before yesterday I had never actually watched it in its entirety. It was a powerful 15 minutes because I recognized some of my own insecurities in the types of behavior Sheryl Sandberg describes. One thing I noticed, whenever the camera panned out over the crowd, was that Sheryl [...]

I have a column up on Partisans about the pitfalls of the mainstream human trafficking narrative. I argue that  in order to effectively combat human trafficking, we must move beyond the simplistic portrayals common in the media and popular discourse. Currently, the dominant discourse is skewed by a semi-voyeuristic preoccupation with sex trafficking that ignores [...]

Many years ago, I had an idea for a sitcom about a roving band of conference crashers: kids who sneak into corporate events for the free snacks and SWAG. I thought the script was lost to the ages, but I just managed to dig it up. I will probably never be invited to speak at [...]

I just began writing for Partisans, an online journal of political and social commentary. My first piece, published yesterday, is about the intersection of online privacy debates and an increasingly international social media user base. As social media takes off around the world (and U.S. companies like Facebook and Twitter gradually overtake their regional equivalents), the market [...]

It’s been a disappointing summer here in Central Europe. We’ve fallen victim to a thoroughly depressing combination of fog, rain, and flat grey skies. Fortunately, the cloudy weeks have been punctuated by the occasional hot-and-sunny day. Unfortunately, the sun retreats just as soon as your hopes for a traditionally scorching summer have been raised. As [...]

I’ve been reading Catch-22, and came across a passage that rings especially true right now. American politicians are fiercely debating strategies to reduce the national debt, and the concept of raising taxes on the wealthy is dismissed by many as socialism and class warfare. In this passage, Heller is meditating on the accident of birth– [...]

  This week marked the first-ever gay pride festival in Prague. This city was the last capital in the European Union to have a gay pride celebration. The event caused a vicious war of words between politicians in the Czech Republic (for more on the controversy, check out my Storyful article), with one right-wing politician [...]

David Cameron wants the government to be able to disrupt social networking services. Alarmed by reports that the London rioters used instant communication services like Twitter and Blackberry messenger to organize themselves, Cameron has called for a “social media clampdown” during emergencies. But how can Western governments call for Internet freedom in places like China [...]

Yesterday, I decided to put together a list of some of the best articles and talks about new media and the future of journalism. I reached out to the Twitterverse for their suggestions.   Here is what we came up with: 1. Jay Rosen on civic journalism TEDxNYED, March 2010 [video] 2. Jeff Jarvis, “Digital [...]