Ajay Kumar at 11:14, 4 July 2023

2023-07-04T11:14:35Z

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{{Short description|Organization}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox website
| name = CGNet Swara
| logo = Swaracover-small.png
| screenshot =
| founded = 2010
| owner = Shubhranshu Choudhary
| url = {{url|www.cgnetswara.org}}
}}

'''CGnet Swara''' is an Indian voice-based online portal that allows people in the forests of [[Chhattisgarh]] to report local news in [[Gondi language|Gondi]] by making a phone call. The portal is freely accessible via mobile phone or online. It allows anyone to report stories and listen to them by giving a missed call. Reported stories are moderated by journalists and become available for playback online as well as over the phone. It is founded by journalist, Shubhranshu Choudhary. For the project, Choudhary won the Digital Activism Award in 2014 from the Index on Censorship beating [[Edward Snowden]] and China's [[FreeWeibo|Free Weibo]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Journalist-Shubhranshu-Choudhary-wins-Digital-activism-award/articleshow/32373113.cms|title=Journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary wins 'Digital activism award'|last=Chatterjee|first=Mohua|date=2014-03-20|website=The Times of India|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321071801/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Journalist-Shubhranshu-Choudhary-wins-Digital-activism-award/articleshow/32373113.cms |archive-date=21 March 2014 |access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/tech/mobile/india-mobile-citizen-journalism/index.html|title=Phone journalism gives a voice to India's rural poor|last=Hume|first=Tim|date=2012-02-22|website=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222175111/http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/tech/mobile/india-mobile-citizen-journalism/index.html |archive-date=22 February 2012 |access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/journalism-should-become-everyones-business/a-17513443|title=Journalism should become everyone's business|last=Krishnan|first=Murali|date=2014-03-21|website=Deutsche Welle|language=en-GB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622015809/http://www.dw.com/en/journalism-should-become-everyones-business/a-17513443 |archive-date=22 June 2015 |access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref>

== History ==
Choudhary was a journalist with the [[BBC World Service]]. He left his job and joined the Knight International Journalism Fellowship. He took help from [[Microsoft]] Principal Researcher Bill Thies to develop a cell phone based news and current affairs portal. He launched CGNet Swara with the help of [[Microsoft Research|Microsoft Research India]] in 2010. He trained people in the local community to produce audio news reports using their cell phone. Reports on local land issues, sanitation, health, crime and human rights were made using the service.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/18/cgnet-swara-is-using-bluetooth-to-source-content-and-share-news-with-indian-villages/|title=CGNet Swara is using Bluetooth to source content and share news with Indian villages|last=Rezwan|date=2020-01-18|website=Global Voices|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118205240/https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/18/cgnet-swara-is-using-bluetooth-to-source-content-and-share-news-with-indian-villages/ |archive-date=18 January 2020 |access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref>

== How it works ==
Reporters recorded their news reports using an [[Interactive voice response|Interactive Voice Response]] (IVR) system. They recorded their message by calling a toll-free number. A group of professional journalists review and verify the news reports using a web interface. Once they are approved the stories are available for playback on the phone or on the CGNet Swara's website.

In 2014, with the advent of the low cost cell phones, an Android application was developed by Krittika D'Silva, then a student at the [[University of Washington]]. The application supported an interactive voice forum where users could record and play messages. The application also supported the ability to upload photos.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://cgnetswara.org/about.html CGnet Swara]

[[Category:Indian news websites]]
[[Category:Web portals]]
[[Category:Internet in India]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Chhattisgarh]]

{{India-stub}}

CGNet Swara - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 11:14, 4 July 2023