Press Start - journalist Jose Acho from Argentina

Jose Acho (www.pressstart.org/jose) annoys the media, land, business, and oil barons of Argentina. His coverage of their profiteering at the expense of the country’s indigenous people even landed him in court in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, where he prevailed. Now with help from Press Start donors, Acho wants to travel into the poor regions of the north to document how native people there are being pushed off the most valuable land, away from public services and ways of making a living.

Press Start http://pressstart.org/ is the first global crowdfunding platform for reporters in countries where the press cannot report freely, potentially revolutionizing the way independent journalism is funded in the developing world and countries in transition.

Global press freedom has dropped to its lowest level in over a decade; More than six billion people – most of the world’s population – live in countries where the media cannot report freely. Internet freedom is also in decline, and independent publishing faces increasingly sophisticated forms of control and censorship.

The free flow of information has never been more vital, but crippling political and financial pressures mean independent media struggle to survive, to produce quality journalism, or even to pay their reporters – no matter how talented and courageous they are.

Press Start was created to fill that gap. The site will connect the journalists risking their lives and careers to report stories that are important to their communities with people around the world who believe in a free press and appreciate its importance to democracy.

Press Start is an initiative of Transitions (TOL) http://www.tol.org/, one of Central Europe’s leading journalism trainers and a Czech-registered, nonprofit organization. Founded in 1999, TOL has implemented dozens of journalism training and freedom of expression projects in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.