Then and Now... Citizen Media and The Olympics

Coverage of the Olympic Games is dominated by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) contracted rights-holder and accredited major media conglomerates. However some feel there is a role for crowdsourced documentation of both sporting events and the cultural context in which it happens.

Robert Scales covered the Olympics of Torino '06 and Beijing '08 for personal expression and as China Desk Editor for Now Public. He'll share his ground-level experiences and tactics for publishing mixed media while staying out of trouble.

Then, in a roundtable discussion with expert guests - including Andy Miah, they'll discuss changes, challenges, and opportunities facing grassroots media makers around the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.

Robert Scales

Robert Scales is the CEO and Founder of web agency Raincity Studios with offices in Vancouver, BC and Shanghai, China. He is an advocate of open source software and is involved in the Drupal community as well as espousing an open source business model.

As a gonzo journalist Scales covers events including Olympic games in Turin and Beijing, Dalai Lama's visit to Vancouver and rock bands and tech luminaries SXSW. Beside the various social media channels, his reportage appeared in MSM outlets as diverse as the BBC, 21st Century Herald (Shanghai), and Warsaw Daily.

Winner of a 2006 Canadian New Media Award, Robert also teaches at Vancouver Film School and is an advisor on various Boards. He participated in the Canada World Youth cultural exchange program as well as various social change workshops and training programs. He frequently presents at (un)conferences around the world about open source tech, business and culture.

Andy Miah

Dr Miah is Reader in New Media & Bioethics at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. He has written extensively about digital culture, ethics, and a range of emerging technologies. He is a regular participant at the National Olympic Academy in Britain, the educational branch of the British Olympic Association and currently supervising Professor at the International Olympic Academy. He has given invited lectures in over 20 countries, most recently for the Australian Sports Commission (2007), the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and The World Anti-Doping Agency symposium on Gene Doping, which was attended by IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge and HRH The Queen of Sweden. He has conducted research and given lectures at the last 5 Olympic Games cities (Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Torino, Beijing) under invitation by various Olympic organisations. Dr Miah has been researching the cultural, political and media structures of the Olympic Movement since 2000, most recently examining the role of the Olympic Truce in international peace processes. He has also written extensively on the rise of non-accredited media at the Olympic Games. He has written for a wide range of national broadsheets and magazines, including The Washington Post, The Observer (London), The Times (London), Project Syndicate, Science and Public Affairs. He is also regularly interviewed by newspapers, radio and television, recently appearing on BBC Newsnight, SkyOne, CBC The National, ABC The 7:30 among others. During the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games he wrote for the Huffington Post and is an active blogger. http://www.andymiah.net