Discussions in Social Media between Observers and Protestors
Jun 22 2009
A few observations building upon the comments I had on Twitter and Social Media after watching this weekends events in Iran.
Fearful that Twitter and other Social Media sites are giving a false sense of hope and support to the protesters in Iran. Allowing them to believe that the governments outside of Iran will support the Iranian people, when there is no guarantee of such help or support. They do have the support of many people outside of Iran, but more than ever there are consequences to yourself and others from your words. Unfortunately I believe that there will be some event that will show the online community this in a very brutal fashion. Depending on how the events in Iran turn out we may be seeing such an event right now.
The Iranian Government supposedly already has the capability to monitor and data mine information coming in and out of that country. So by changing your time zone you do not provide the Iranian protestors any more protection or anonymity, but more likely will confuse those following the events by making it harder for those outside the country to identify people who are in Iran.
Calling Bullshit on Pulitzer
Already some of the most iconic photographs (Hudson River and Neda from Iran) taken this year were not by professional photographers, but by people with cell phones. Considering these and the countless other examples of photographs, video and text reports coming out of Iran how are these amazing efforts going to be recognized later by an organization like the Pulitzer Prize?
Submissions from online news sites are now accepted for the Pulitzer Journalism competition and a person of any nationality can enter, but they are only accepting submissions from sites that are published at least weekly and or dedicated to original news reporting. Would YouTube be an eligible web site for the Pulitzer?
All online material, which may include written stories, interactive graphics, databases, blogs and still or video images, must be published on an eligible Web site ring the calendar year and, when submitted, must depict its original publication on the Web, not its subsequent update or alteration. - Pulitzer Entrance formWith no safe way to contact the person who took the video of Neda and the fact that someone would have to submit and pay the entrance fee I'm not sure of the chances that the person who took what will probably be the most lasting image from the protest in Iran will be entered for the Pulitzer. These are important images and the person who put their safety at risk should be recognized for their efforts.
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View the previous article: I have a Fever or find more in the archives.
