By Vilaweb
Global Voices Elaborates on Catalonia
This article was originally published [2] [ca] by the independent online
journal Vilaweb [3] [ca]. We republish it with permission.
Interview with Violeta Camarasa [4], Global Voices Online [5]‘s
Catalan-language [6] editor (Twitter [7]) [ca]. Although Global Voices
published their first Catalan-language article [ca], the project took a
year to gain momentum. Today, Global Voices Català publishes regularly,
with all the rights and responsibilities as Global Voices’ other
language editions. On Wednesday, February 27th, Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra
University [ca] hosted a panel discussion between Saül Gordillo [8]
[ca], Sílvia Cobo [9] [ca], Cristina Vaquer [10] (Twitter) [ca] of the
collaborative reporting network People’s Witness [11] [ca], and Violeta
Camarasa, editor of Global Voices Català.
Two Examples: Al Jazeera and The Washington Post
Global Voices Català has demonstrated over the past several months that
it has the capacity to explain Catalonia to the world, supplementing the
mainstream media’s historical neglect of the region. For instance:
1) Al Jazeera highlighted their coverage of Catalan politics in a The
Stream show video [12] about September 11th’s million-person protest in
the context of the growing rift between Catalonia and the Spanish
Government. In the video, The Stream’s host thanks Global Voices Català
for calling the team’s attention to the issue with an article published
[13] [ca] days before and also through Twitter (see minutes 11.33 and
28.19).
2. In a blog post [14] about the Cafè amb Llet affair [15], The
Washington Post cited Global Voices articles. The blog post was later
revised after Ms Camarasa critiqued the piece.
What is Global Voices Català’s ultimate purpose?
Global Voices Català is one piece of Global Voices Online’s
international puzzle. We function like a network, and within this
network, every language edition has a double-mission. First, translating
into that language (in our case, Catalan) to explain to its audience all
of the ideas and polemics that charge worldwide online debate. It’s also
our duty to explain to the world the topics of debate on the Catalan-
speaking web.
You often discuss the concept of online debates…
Sure, and they’re complex. These debates can circle around questions
that arise directly online; they can also be online conversations about
current, offline events. In this way, we are able to offer the world a
unique vision of what’s going on in Catalonia, supplementing what is
usually presented by the mainstream media.
Can Global Voices therefore help explain Catalonia’s secessionist
movement to the world?
Of course! Just consider that last year, the world’s vision of
Catalonia was constructed exclusively by media outlets based in or
heavily influenced by Madrid. Global Voices is a fresh, direct window
into Catalan current events. And we can explain a lot more than the
sovereignty process as well: for instance, the drama of evictions as a
result of the economic crisis, corruption, and all other issues relevant
to contemporary Catalan society. One issue doesn’t negate the other and
they are all related to the country we long for.
So what will we find online at Global Voices Català?
We often publish analyses that transcend conventional editorial
agendas. We work exhaustively to produce a large volume of content,
perhaps larger than any one person can consume. We write a lot about
Catalan society so that other language versions may translate it, and we
translate what other editions of Global Voices have produced, which
results in diverse stories from around the world. It’s important to
provide thorough filters so that readers can find articles about the
languages, regions, and countries that interest them.
Has building the Catalan edition been tolling?
Well, Global Voices was founded in 2005 and was initially an
(exclusively) English-language publication that focused on stories
emanating from the developing world. Global Voices linguistic domain
eventually expanded to Spanish and French and today includes thirty
languages. The Catalan edition was founded in 2010 but took a while to
gain momentum. By 2011 we were publishing regularly, but it wasn’t until
2012 that Global Voices Català was producing a large enough body of
content to leave ‘BETA’ phase and be considered a full-fledged edition
of Global Voices.
Engaging with Global Voices is also a way to get connected with the
world…
Indeed. All of the content we produce for Catalan readers about
worldwide conversations is extremely valuable. Moreover, we — that is,
the GV team — are present in that content. Historically, international
news has been disseminated by larger media outlets and to a lesser
extent, diplomacy. Global Voices is one of the networks that has helped
to break that down. Also, Global Voices allows readers to engage with
the journalists and bloggers who produce the content. The communication
is direct.
And how does the Catalan team work?
Right now, we’re about twenty volunteers, but in recent weeks we’ve
received more applications than usual. Hopefully, the presentation at
Pompeu Fabra University will help us grow even more. We do the double
work that I talked about earlier. We translate from other language
editions, often adding a little extra context for our readers, and we
report on the conversations that define the Catalan blogosphere. It’s
important to note that we’re not talking about blogs and tweets by
politicians, journalists and celebrities. In fact, it’s quite the
contrary. We want to give visibility to the voices of people outside the
mainstream media’s spotlight. In this regard we want volunteers with
“journalistic” backgrounds, but that’s not to say that you need to be a
professional journalist to collaborate.
Article printed from Global Voices: http://globalvoicesonline.org
URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/03/04/global-voices-
can-help-explain-catalonia-to-the-world/