The (Revolutionary) Citizen Journalist

OJ1 #9

*Note this blog focuses exclusively on wartime and revolutionary citizen journalists. The author recognizes many citizen journalists are not in similar situations and there are many citizen journalists from all walks of life.

They come in the form of the disenfranchised. Many have suffered incredible forms of abuse, others have lost loved ones to ruthless military regimes and war. Some emerge from under the helm of aggressive dictators, silenced if their view isn’t government approved. They fight to revolutionize their often troubled nations and contribute to massive changes within government systems. Their lust for freedom can be felt within the words they type and the message they send. They speak for those with no voice and break through fire walls.

These progressive individuals aren’t esteemed journalists, or highly trained reporters. They are everyday people, stuck in restricted sections of their own country. They take on the responsibility of informing the entire world of their people’s struggles and spread what they believe to be the truth. When international journalists are banned from entering or not allowed to cover certain stories and local media are hushed or under government control, it is the citizen journalists who defy authority and let the world in.

After a contentious presidential re-election in 2009, the international public called on social networking site Twitter to cancel scheduled maintenance, to ensure its Iranian users could use the tool to spread news of their opinions, emotions and movements during what many considered a revolutionary period. Although the government censored social media sites, such as twitter, users found ways past and triumphed over authorities. Twitter allowed many suppressed Iranians to contact and communicate like minded citizens and hash tags made it easy for all concerned to understand what major events were happening. It allowed ordinary Iranians the opportunity to share their struggle with the world.

Syrians used the internet in much a similar way. What started as angry protests over the treatment of school aged anti-government protesters, led to a massive revolution and fighting. Many have died standing up for peace and the use of video recording devices has meant the outside world have seen the abuse the Syrian government denies as happening. The Syrian freedom fighters determination to use technology is based around their wish for the revolution to be televised and throughout the bloody conflict videos and messages have been constantly posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nr56UB6zEI  (Al-Jazeera news report using footage and story filmed by citizen journalists)

While twitter and individual bloggers can’t bring down governments alone, joining hands over the globe through awareness via social media CAN. When career journalists are locked out and banned from entering, it is the citizen journalists punching their way out from behind the walls. And they sure do pack a punch.