How To Launch a Human-Rights Blog

Set up the blog. Check out the web sites of journalist-rights groups for information on programs to use, techniques to avoid censors, and security measures to take.

Decide which specific issues and events you want to highlight. Practice drafting entries before you go live.

A successful blog is not a history lesson; your writing should reference current events. And stick to the facts—human-rights abuses don’t need embellishment.

Develop a distinct voice. Whether you’re scholarly, sarcastic, or bombastic, be consistent, and be original.

Increase your chances of remaining anonymous—and escaping detection by authorities—by not revealing personal information on the blog.

Identify regional specialists at human-rights organizations and nonprofit groups that support press freedom. They can offer guidance and may even be able to provide funding and legal advice.

Optimize your results in search engines by using keywords—terms and phrases related to your topic that people tend to search for—in the titles and top paragraphs of your posts.

Link to other relevant blogs, dissident and human-rights groups, and news organizations. Get as many of them as possible to reciprocate.

Encourage reader comments and suggestions. Lively debate can increase traffic.

If possible, incorporate photographs and video. A picture tells a thousand words, and video is harder for censors to catch than text.