One person claiming to be in the midst of the chaos surrounding the controversial Iranian presidential election results says he is under seize… at this moment. And countless people are monitoring his welfare live around the world. No, not on CNN or ABC News, but on Twitter. But, we’ll get back to him in a moment…
At this hour, an Iranian revolution is raging, but not in the way you might think.
Countless Twitter users from around the world are filling a void they see in the coverage of the tumultuous Iranian election . They are sharing photos and first-hand accounts not available elsewhere — or at least when and where they want it.
Of the 10 most popular topics currently being discussed on the social media Web site, the Iranian elections and the coverage thereof dominate four of the top 10 spots as I write this just after midnight, as you can see from the screen grab posted to the right.
As I type, the three major cable news networks — CNN, MSNBC and FOX News — are airing recorded shows, as opposed to airing live coverage of the chaos in Iran. This is upsetting many tweeters.
One user, who identifies himself as Wilson Kanaday of Little Rock, Ark., summed up the thoughts of many of his peers:
Another user, who identifies herself as Teresa Valdez Klein of Washington State, echoed Kanaday:
Incidentally, the Connecticut Hearst properties, including the Connecticut Post, did have the turbulence in Iran prominently displayed on its local Web sites as the debate raged:
Meanwhile, users, such as a tweeter by the name of Change_for_Iran, are said to be sharing regular real-time updates from Iran:
And just now, the powerful supposedly first-hand account of pain I mentioned earlier by a person identified as Farhad:
Wow.
Meanwhile, other users interact and express concern and sympathy directly, as a user who identifies herself as Meghan Bell of Sacramento, Calif., just did:
It’s difficult to deliver news more powerfully and directly than this.
Other users are retweeting — or spreading what their fellow Twitter users are reporting — supposedly from within Iran.
And still others are passing along photos taken by cell phone users on the ground and spreading them through services like Twitpic. Check out one here.
A user, who identifies herself as Jean Caldwell of Cocoa Beach, Fla., for example, shares this:
Members of CNN, including anchor Don Lemon who has used Twitter on his show for months, have gone on the defensive:
I hate to break it to him, but quite a lot of folks are covering it. Whether they are on the front-lines in Iran or just sharing resources as they become available, Twitter users are reporting what is happening, and Don Lemon should realize this.
An hour after I started writing this post, the #CNNFail topic is now the third most popular on Twitter — a powerful message to mainstream media.
It is important to note there is no way to definitively prove reports claiming to be coming out of Iran truly are. And the point of this post is not to report what is happening in Tehran and elsewhere right now — I will leave news sites to do that. The point, rather, is to demonstrate that people are frustrated and looking for other sources to find information as it develops.
Dead are the days when people waited to be told what was happening — whether it was across the street or half a world away — and people are finding that Twitter is filling that void of knowledge like never before.
And, as for our Iranian correspondent identified as Farhad, he appears to have survived the tear gas attack. Two minutes ago, he posted an update. Although a little dizzy, he is made his way to a roof.
It’s quite amazing. But what do you think?
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Mr. DeLoma,
Since the dawn of journalism, people have always been frustrated and looking for other sources to find information as it develops. That’s been true from Gutenberg to Matt Drudge. The danger with Twitter is that (as you’ve correctly pointed out) there is no way to definitively prove that any of these reports are actually true.
You slyly add this in towards the end of your post – like a buried footnote – because you’re quite obviously biased in favor of the Twitter phenom. I couldn’t help but laugh when you profoundly remarked that “It’s difficult to deliver news more powerfully and directly than this.” Yet I’d argue that the Sunday Times delivers news far more powerfully than Twitter and that it’s direction is grounded in objective fact and vetted sources.
In an era in which the Bush Administration and Pentagon have acknowledged planting fake reporters and when Amazon.com boasts hordes of fake reviews every day, I think it’s far too naive to trust any Twitter poster who is not connected to the mainstream media. It’s far too easy for anyone to sign up on Twitter and lie for any number of purposes (political, attention, etc.).
So-called citizen journalism can be an effective tool in news-gathering and publication, but only if utilized together with mainstream media outlets (having the monetary, professional and ethical resources to vet the various Tweets). In my humble opinion, Twitter is little more than an international anonymous tip hot-line. Thus, while reporters should certainly acknowledge tweets, they ought also take them with the appropriate grains of salt.
Comment by O'Rourke Peters — June 14th, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Mr. Peters,
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective.
And in many cases, we agree. We agree the danger of Twitter is that there is no way to definitively prove that any of the reports are true. However, I would argue there are ways to determine they are likely true. And I agree that Twitter could be compared to an international tip hotline. In fact, newsrooms receive countless tips everyday. Responsible journalists weigh how credible the tip could be by doing some digging. I would contend the same could, and should, be done when reporting what Twitter is reporting.
One could look back and see what else a particular user has posted and how accurate that information is and was. A reporter could see how well it lines up with other information deemed accurate and true. One could also reach out to the tweeter and see if what he or she says makes sense.
Of course, the point of this post was not to report what was going on in Iran, but how the information about the chaos following the presidential elections there was spreading online — often through retweeting traditional media sources. It was also to demonstrate that news consumers refuse to wait for traditional news windows.
Twitter, in my opinion, should be treated like the tip line for a newsroom. Information should be examined with a critical eye and, if deemed accurate, pursued.
We are still in the infancy of social media technology, and so it goes to reason that journalists — as well as non-journalists — are still figuring out how to best utilize it. Will there be mistakes made along the way? Sure, but I think the technology will prove to be such an invaluable resource that it will surely trump those mistakes.
Comment by Jamie DeLoma — June 14th, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
[...] Following the highly contested and controversial presidential elections in Iran, regular Iranians broke their country’s state media-imposed muzzle and disseminated shocking videos to the world. You can read some of the accounts I captured here. [...]
Comment by Convergence is shaping our world at delowdown with deloma — September 22nd, 2009 @ 2:47 am