22 Feb is Free Mojtaba and Arash Day!!!

BBC NEWS | Technology | Global blogger action day called

This Tuesday is the first International Bloggers' Rights day. Sadly, two Iranian bloggers named Arash Sigarchi and Mojta Saminejad, both imprisoned in Iran for their blogging activities, are this year's blog-martyrs.

The above BBC article highlights a situation that is just starting to receive publicity as the US's non-blogging public is jolted into recognizing bloggers' "long tail" clout (Eason Jordan, James Guchert, Rathergate/Memogate) and the blogging community comes to grips with the reality of big brother's eventual recognition. Do bloggers deserve some of the protections that professional (MSM:)) journalists expect, though not always receive?

This is a truly "glocal story": Global, because 2 imprisoned Iranian bloggers symbolize the draconian human rights norms in some parts of the world; local because recently in the US we've seen stories of blogging employees being fired because of their online musings. Yet in both locations, blogs are viewed by some in power as a threat.

The Iran blogger quandary:
"It is also shocking to realise that in the communications age just expressing support for an internet activist is enough to land people in jail."

The domestic blogger paradigm:
"If you haven't already got bloggers in your company, you will have them tomorrow - and if you don't have a blogger policy now you had better start looking at having one."

Tuesday is Free Mojtaba and Arash Day. Blog about it!