by Michelle Lentz
I’m rather horrified by what’s occuring in the Middle East right now. Perhaps more horrified than I might have been at any other point in history. Why? Well, despite the fact that journalists aren’t allowed into Gaza right now, citizen journalists are at their zenith.
You can follow what is going on in many ways, although the most surprising to me is Twitter.
- Al-Jazeera is asking people to submit, via SMS or twitter, any incidents that occur and those are then tracked on a map. Al-Jazeera also has a specific Twitter feed, keeping track of the latest news. @AJGaza
- They’re not the only ones though. The Israeli Consulate has an official Twitter account with the news from their perspective. @israelconsulate Personally, I’m intrigued by this use of Twitter by an official entity (not a news organization) to get out their message. The Israel Defense Forces also have a blog and a YouTube page.
- The Twitter hash tags are out of control, but a useful way to track not just official and news stations, but citizen journalists. #Gaza, #Israel, #Hammas, #GazaWar
Perhaps the thing that moves me the most is a personal blog kept by two friends: Hopeman and Peaceman. The blog is called Life must go on in Gaza and Sderot. Hopeman lives in Sderot, a small town in Israel near the Gaza border. His friend, Peaceman, is a student who was studying in Europe. Peaceman came home to Gaza to raise more money for his schooling and has been trapped in Gaza for the last two years, unable to leave. Their blog offers up such a personal side to the conflict, and shows how the regular people get so trapped by the larger political movements around them.
Additional Resources:
NPR has a nice article on how different organizations are using social media throughout the conflict.
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