I used my experience covering #indivotes<\/a> last year on Twitter and No Fibs to establish and promote the #leardblockade hashtag at a time when the campaign was on its last legs due to Whitehaven moving in quickly early in the new year. At year\u2019s end, after I thought more than once that the campaign was lost, it\u2019s still strong and still gaining momentum, in part due to Twitter.<\/p>\n No Fibs editor Margo Kingston at the #leardblockade in January 2014.<\/p><\/div>\n After self-funding a pilot CSG citizen journalism project<\/a> late last year, this year I committed to cover and support the #Pilliga <\/a>#Bentleyblockade<\/a> and #protectgloucester<\/a> campaigns in country NSW on Twitter and No Fibs. Many citizen journalist Tweeps wrote for us on their frontline experience and on the issues. I used the Tweeted Times to create newspapers on these campaigns so interested Tweeps could follow developments on a daily basis. Citizens\u2019 reporting on Twitter, No Fibs and other websites meant the mainstream media was not needed to cover the daily news, and I feel this reporting encouraged the mainstream to report and break stories now and then (See Reporting grassroots greenshoots when faith in establishment politics dies<\/a>).<\/p>\n And I got arrested for the first time since joining the Right to March protests against the Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen a long, long time ago. Funny what life dishes up (Mass arrests at #leardblockade<\/a>, Getting #leardblockade arrested: WTF is journalism and who’s the extremist?<\/a>).<\/p>\n Oh, and I won my <\/a>complaint<\/a> to the Press Council<\/a> about the Daily Telegraph’s coverage of the Ashby<\/a> judgement<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n But the highlight of 2014 for me was Twitter\u2019s #SPCSunday<\/a> campaign early in the year, where people bought SPC for meals on Sunday<\/span><\/span> and posted their pics and recipes. I\u2019d just come back from the #leardblockade needing a break when Linda Drummond tweeted me the campaign idea, and worked full time for a week to promote it. Who can forget Abbott\u2019s awful decision not to contribute $25 million to ensure a huge injection of capital by the parent company to save the loss making SPC, Australia\u2019s last fruit processing outfit and the backbone of Shepparton and its farmers.<\/p>\n Linda Drummond tweeted Margo Kingston with the campaign idea #SPCsunday<\/p><\/div>\n The mainstream media moved on quickly, but #SPCSunday saw Tweeps deepen the story by exposing SPC\u2019s long fight against dumped foreign fruit and the fact that imported fruit did not have to meet the same health standards as our product. The campaign also exposed the big supermarkets as failing to give SPC a fair go on its shelves, and saw them sign contracts with SPC to use their fruit for their home brands. SPC\u2019s managing director credited #SPCsunday<\/span><\/span> with ensuring its survival (No Fibs #SPCsunday archive<\/a>).<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing better than millions of Australians joining forces to save a country town. Inspirational.<\/p>\n Early this year I decided that No Fibs\u2019 future was as an all volunteers pro-am site, whereby writers worked to a professional standard. We also moved away from sub-editing and asked trusted writers to upload their work according to a guide created by Mike Burge (@burgewords<\/a>).<\/p>\n I figure that while the energy is there No Fibs will thrive, and when it\u2019s not, it will die. This year No Fibs\u2019 fabulous #indivotes reporter Wayne Jansson (@Jansant<\/a>) became our chief reporter, co-ordinating our coverage of #MarchinMarch<\/a> and later marches, and the #Peoplesclimate<\/a> protests. I feel we\u2019ve become a site for activist Australians wanting to make a difference.<\/p>\n Our geek Tony Yegles (@geeksrulz<\/a>) continued his great work managing and improving the site<\/a> (and publishing my work as I\u2019m still a Luddite), and Mike Burge helped new writers learn to self publish. We also welcomed David Marler (Qldaah<\/a>) as a regular columnist<\/a>, and his detailed updates on Queensland politics were a great addition to the site. I see his work as my contribution to coverage of my home state, the greatest State when it comes to wild politics.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a Twitter addict and No Fibs is a Twitter-based site. May Twitter grow in strength and power next year. Australia needs it.<\/p>\n Jan Bowman (@GriffithElects<\/a>) reports on Coalition support for a mandatory Medicare co-payment after Australian Centre for Health Research<\/a> (ACHR) announced it had included the suggestion in a submission to the Abbott Government’s Commission of Audit. No Fibs<\/em> editor Margo Kingston (@margokingston1<\/a>) begins her live coverage of the #LeardBlockade on Twitter<\/a>, with regular reports posted on No Fibs<\/em><\/a>. Margo’s determination to cover #LeardBlockade would lead to her arrest and a charge of trespass in March. Margo explains why, after seeking legal advice, she pleaded guilty<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jan Bowman began our coverage of the Griffith by-election in late November, the bulk of the campaigning and coverage was during January, with the by-election held in early February. In the last week of January, the Abbott Government announced it was going to allow iconic Australian brand Shepparton Preserving Company (SPC) to die a cruel needless death. Our last remaining canned fruit processor, a victim of a high Australian dollar and a flood of cheap imported canned fruit, was denied critical assistance, perhaps because it wasn’t a sponsor of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s (@TonyAbbottMHR<\/a>) Pollie Peddle.<\/p>\n The ensuring battle saw local Federal Liberal Sharman Stone MP (Murray), accuse Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey of lying<\/a>, after they claimed union pay deals were the reason SPC was in trouble.<\/p>\n I live not far from Shepparton, locals were predicting the death of Shepparton if SPC was forced to close.<\/p>\n No Fibs<\/em> citizen journalist Amy Feldtmann<\/a> (@AmyFeldtmann<\/a>), who grew up in near-by Dookie opened our coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Journalist Linda Drummond<\/a> (@LindaDrummond<\/a>) contacted No Fibs<\/em> editor Margo Kingston with the idea for a campaign, #SPCsunday<\/a>, to save the cannery, which Margo took to with gusto.<\/p>\n The over-whelming public response to the campaign meant that despite Abbott and Hockey, an Australian icon and (quite likely a) town was saved. I came to this piece after a week of depression, wondering why on earth I had chosen a career – journalism – which was in its death throes. Then I worked it out – we are all journalists, and we’re working for the social media moguls for free with every post, every seflie, every tag … I almost lost friends over this piece.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n March was a memorable month for me. I’d mostly been in a No Fibs<\/em> hibernation since covering the seat of Indi during the 2013 federal election. Still active on Twitter, I’d been watching a movement called #MarchInMarch<\/a> slowly gain momentum in a similar fashion to the election campaign of Cathy McGowan MP (@IndigoCathy<\/a>).<\/p>\n There were many similarities, a slow but steady build up of a diverse group of people, of different ages, with different political leanings, different issues, coming together all calling for the same things: an honest, transparent, inclusive and compassionate government that listens to people and values opinions.<\/p>\n The same sentiment that drove McGowan’s election campaign was also driving #MarchInMarch.<\/p>\n It was a genuine grassroots movement, started by a few people on social media, that grew into a massive action without engaging any of the usual suspects or any assistance from the main stream media.<\/p>\n Once it became obvious #MarchInMarch<\/a> was going to be huge, I contacted Margo Kingston and asked if No Fibs<\/em> was planning to cover it. Margo was initially reluctant, but after a bit of discussion, she agreed and asked me to coordinate the coverage.<\/p>\n In one of life’s strange coincidences, while chasing Billy Bragg for comment prior to the marches<\/a>, I found myself at the launch of the Victorian Trades Hall state election campaign, which was pivotal to the election of the Andrews Victorian Labor Government in December.<\/p>\n @daytour<\/a> I played at a barbie for the union’s campaign to oust Napthine last time I was there, so I’m glad they’ve been successful.<\/p>\n \u2014 Billy Bragg (@billybragg) November 29, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"Margo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Be5zd7aCIAEUwun.jpg?resize=599%2C584\")
![\"Linda](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Linda-Drummond-headshot.jpg?resize=526%2C640\")
No Fibs top 15 most read pieces in 2014<\/h2>\n
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January<\/h2>\n
\nDr Glasson\u2019s New Year\u2019s Medicare resolutions: @GriffithElects reports<\/a><\/p>\n
\nRead the #griffithvotes archive<\/a>.<\/p>\nFebruary<\/h2>\n
\nNote: Linda Drummond is now also a No Fibs event live tweeter.
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\nIn a controversial piece, Michael Burge (@burgewords<\/a>) explores what’s left for main stream media and professional journalists in the age of social media, where everyone’s a publisher. In suggesting the inclusion of this piece, Michael said:
\n<\/em><\/p>\nMarch<\/h2>\n