Pakistan has been in the news quite a bit recently, and for those looking in the right places, a lot of this news has dealt with the internet and citizen journalism. I’m going to address two relevant stories in my next two posts: a New York Times effort to work with citizen journalists, and an attempt by the Pakistani government to silence the same critical individuals.
In November, the Times put out “a call for eyewitness photos, video, and text from Pakistan.” This request was intended to help the Times report on opposition protests being blocked by the Pakistani government. Users were encouraged to submit personal accounts as comments and to contact the Times with photo and video submissions. While there were a few videos linked in the comments, most responses seemed to come in text form, whether they were personal accounts or critiques of the Times’ coverage.
- Was this intended journalistic partnership successful for all parties involved?
- What does the most common response medium (text) say about the kinds of stories being told and the people telling them?
Come back soon for the Pakistan-YouTube debacle.
“A Call for Eyewitness Photos, Video and Text From Pakistan”
