Visual insights from Berlin to Maputo with Citizen Desk and @Verdade

Sourcefabric's recent visit to @Verdade's newsroom in Maputo, Mozambique was a fun marathon to get the beta version of Citizen Desk up and running for the voter registration period that was about to start.

In a workshop in Berlin prior to the trip we prepared by inviting journalists and developers to propose solutions for citizen journalism verification. As a result, we produced this documentary-style video that gives a snapshot into the process.

A perfect match

We wanted to start testing Citizen Desk from the very beginning of the first phase of this year's electoral process where more than 3.5 million citizens were expected to register for their new voter id card.

@Verdade a high-quality, free newspaper in Maputo, Mozambique, has the largest estimated readership in the region and focuses on giving its readers different possibilities to engage with their content. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the potential of Citizen Desk.

Building a responsive system

We started by ironing out certain use case scenarios. For instance, we asked ourselves these types of questions:

• What kind of reports were going to be submitted?
• Who was going to be sending, receiving, assigning verification, editing and publishing the reports?
• Which tools and equipment would be used?

Though we didn't have much time to get everything set, and we had to struggle a bit with some local constraints, in the end Sourcefabric's visit was an accomplished mission. Soon after, on May 25 and for the two months that followed until the registration process finished on July 23, hundreds of reports a day started pouring in from across the Mozambican territory. You can read more about the registration process in English here.

• Read a review of our experience in Maputo with @Verdade.
• Find out more information about Citizen Desk.