North Korea fundraiser aims to bring news to the masses
North Korea's desperate attempts to censor information coming from outside is well-known, but one organization existing outside the propaganda mill hopes that crowdfunding could break down these barriers.
The Daily NK, a group of undercover reporters who strive to report what's happening in the "hermit kingdom," have turned to Indiegogo to try and raise enough funds to kill North Korea's "information blockade" once and for all.
The publication, available in Korean and English, works with a number of outlets to give outsiders news which isn't vetoed by the country's governors. The Daily NK's staff includes South Korean democracy activists, North Korean defectors, and international researchers, but due to the nature of the outlet, is often the target of Chinese and Korean hackers, according to the Daily NK.
As a result, the outlet is hoping to raise $10,000 to shore up the defenses of its website, translate news in additional languages, and integrate the website across mobile technology to cater for its international audience.
At the time of writing, $3,655 has been raised. The Daily NK says any additional funding will be put towards more equipment to gather and transfer news to the outside world.
Communication may have improved marginally as foreigners are now permitted to connect to 3G networks, but there is still a long way to go -- and a need for these outlets to let us know the true state of the hermit kingdom outside of state-sponsored news statements. As the video below says, there may be hope for North Koreans at the grass roots if the international community takes an interest.
Via: The Next Web
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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com