Together We’ll Tell Stories

Imagine a democracy where every citizen had his or her voice heard and that leaders had a place to go whenever they wanted to know what the people were thinking. Well such a place rarely exists and the citizens of Liberia have only recently begun to demand a seat at the table of decision making regarding the issues that most affect their lives.

Together Liberia is all about letting the people tell their own stories and empowering Liberian journalists to uncover and report on the issues of the day as they are reflected in the lives of ordinary citizens. As we can see from the daily reports coming in from North Africa and the Middle East, the desire for a voice and democratic processes are stronger than ever. We can also see how new technologies are both shaping and revolutionizing the way that ordinary citizens communicate with themselves, with their leaders and with the outside world.

Together Liberia will be presenting the world as seen, felt and reflected upon by ordinary Liberians. Whenever possible we will be putting technology into the hands of citizens so they can craft their stories in their own way. In the months ahead Together Liberia will be the place where the world can come to meet and listen to ordinary Liberians.

Let the conversation begin! — a democracy where each citizen has the ability to be heard and the leaders have a place listen.  The intent of Together Liberia is to seize that opportunity, empowering storytellers to raise public discussion on the key topics of online casino civil society that affect daily life.  It is through partnership and the embracing of technology that these goals can be achieved.

Together Liberia”s mission is to enable Liberian professionals and student journalists to uncover and report on the issues of the day as they are reflected in the lives of ordinary citizens.  At our core is a passion to provide tools to storytellers and get out of the way, no one knows the story of a society like those of that society.

This June we”ll be kicking off the project and launching the full-site with in-depth storytelling, news, history and analysis as it relates to current topics. We”ll be starting off with coverage of the run-up to the Liberian national elections.  We will be working together with Liberian and international journalism professionals, students and academics in a real-world training environment using cutting-edge storytelling techniques and technology.

We understand that not everyone can receive content in the same way. We will be using wordpress and ushahidi to help deliver content to our digital users while concentrating on keeping our content delivery relevant by firstly delivering stories to average Liberians via radio and print partners. Same content, thoughtful was of delivering it.

At the end of the day, it”s sharing stories that matter, connecting people to people and allowing the voice of the public to be heard. We encourage you to participate, offer feedback and suggestions. This blog will continue to offer an inside view of Together Liberia, welcome.

About Ken Harper

I'm an Asst. Professor in the Multimedia, Photography & Design Dept. at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.