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The success of the Arab revolution through social

media
Features, News | February 28, 2011 by Monika Thomasberger | 0 Comments

Women crossing a street in Iran

All around the world, reporters and foreign correspondents are risking their lives to cover important
events. But in recent years a lot has changed in how information is being distributed. One thing is
certain, social media has transformed the way we deal with news.

What had started in Tunisia with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, spread like a bush fire
throughout the Arab countries. The news coverage about the riots in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Iran or
Bahrain reaches us through the 24/7 news coverage of the big broadcasters. Live updates, like the Al
Jazeera blog and a constant flow of Twitter messages keep us informed about what is happening.

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The success of the Arab revolution through social media | The Trade http://abra.suxos.org/wordpress/?p=623

These current riots in the Middle East and North Africa show us, that mobile phones and the use of the
internet are crucial in organising the demonstrations whereas in the past it took days, weeks or months for
news to reach other countries.

Sonya Hepinstall, deputy editor for political news in Europe at Reuters, thinks that the distribution of
news has changed because a lot of people now get news through social networks such as Facebook or
Twitter, where friends post information that is relevant to their interests. Hepinstall explains that when
important news happen, people still turn to the big news channels and distributors. She says: “Traditional
media realised too late that the internet is the future.”

In Egypt, the government has restricted the internet and telecommunications networks in the hope of
stopping the anti-government activists. This tactic has been used before by countries such as Iran. Leila
Salehi Ravesh, an Iranian-born freelance journalist living in Austria explains. She says: “Many bloggers in
Iran are being threatened or end up in prison, but still the internet is a necessary platform to share
messages and updates about demonstrations and other important events.”

Alois Pumhösel, a journalist from the Austrian newspaper der Standard, thinks that new media, for
example, blogs, help users to reach information quicker but many unprofessional sites lack the reliability
of a journalistic medium.

In Libya, the riots have been mostly covered through blurry images taken with mobile phones due to the
lack of foreign reporters, who had previously been banned from the country. These amateur videos were
the only source of information for several days, alongside with a pool of rumours. Robert Fisk, Middle
East Correspondent writes in his analysis in the Independent’s i newspaper: “The hand-held immediacy of
the mobile phone, the intimacy of sound and the crack of gunfire are in some ways more compelling, than
the edited, digital films of the networks.”

Not everyone shares the same opinion. Ali Sheikholeslami, Euronews London correspondent thinks that
information from an unnamed source cannot be compared to mainstream media. “News channels show
life events and you know that this is information is not fabricated. Footage from people using multimedia
never shows the same picture like from a reporter,” he adds.

Whereas some correspondents choose the safety of the rooftops to get an overview of the situation,
others, like the Egyptian photographer Hamdy Reda, dive right into the “dangerous grounds” to capture
the best images. He describes the events as violent and chaotic. “Because of my two cameras I was
looking suspicious to the police and they arrested me as they thought I am an Iranian spy. But I also saw
foreign journalists being arrested,” he told Euronews in an interview.

The non-profit organisation Reporters Without Boarders raised concerns about the journalists who have
been targeted by security forces and prevented from doing their work in covering the recent
demonstrations. They write on their homepage that they “urge the authorities to respect the media’s work.
The public in these countries has the right to receive impartial and independently reported information.”

Also Euronews correspondent Mohamed Elhamy reported for the news channel about the fierce campaign
against foreign reporters: “Many journalists are seeking refuge in Cairo’s big hotels. Some foreign
reporters have been attacked by thugs. They’ve even attacked offices being used by foreign and Arabic-
language channels.”

According to Euronews, the organised demonstrations were only such a success because the
demonstrators in Egypt were able to use foreign mobile networks. “They had weapons, but we had our
phones,” says one of the demonstrators.

The new media has not only changed the way we perceive events, it has also given us a voice. With live
messages and dramatic pictures reaching the Western World within seconds, it is possible to react quickly
when innocent people get hurt or arrested. The internet has given both citizens and journalists the chance
to show all facets of news that can be covered.

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The success of the Arab revolution through social media | The Trade http://abra.suxos.org/wordpress/?p=623

Tags: Al Jazeera, demonstrations, Egypt, Euronews, internet, Iran, Middle East, Mohamed Bouazizi,
Reporters Without Boarders, riots, social media, Tunisia

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