Ed Kashi has recently released his latest project- Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta. Looking at the effect the past 50 years of oil exploitation has had on Nigeria's environment and society, this is a powerful project that is not to be missed. Between the book, a multimedia project, and a website with a blog and tons of links, there is a lot of really great material to pore over here.
PBS's FRONTLINE/World has launched the first edition of iWitness, a new feature that connects with people around the world to tell important stories. With regular reporters as well as " activists and artists, doctors and teachers, even avatars reporting from virtual communities, such as Second Life," iWitness promises to bring interesting insights to top stories. Currently featured: videos on the riots in South Africa, and an account by Washington Post video journalist Travis Fox on covering the earthquake in China. Definitely a site worth bookmarking and coming back to.
ProPublica launched their website today, and while it's not multimedia, it's well worth checking out! If you haven't heard of them, "ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. We strive to foster change through exposing exploitation of the weak by the strong and the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them." With a powerhouse staff, and some serious funders backing their work, we're excited to see what they do.
The June issue of the Digital Journalist is now online. Featured this month is a selection of pictures and personal commentary from Bill Eppridge: "A Time It Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties". Barbara Baker Burrows gives a terrific introduction to both Bill and the images. Also of note, a firsthand account and gallery by James Whitlow Delano, "In the Eye of the Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone" covering the recent devastation.
The 2008 edition of Soul of Athens has launched. Produced by the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University, this year's group looked at Wellness within the Athens County, Ohio, community. 30 stories are grouped into the categories Mind, Body, Spirit, and Place. It's well worth the time spent to go through the site, there are quite a few excellent projects in here. If you somehow missed the amazing (and multiple award-winning) compilation of stories last year, be sure to check the 2007 project out, too.