Social Media: Egyptian Revolution

Media Law & Ethics

Summer Online 2014

Bridget Lynch

When Social Media becomes THE Vehicle for Revolution: Can Journalist use Social Media as a Source?

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What is Social Media?

Definition:

Forms of electronic communication (as Web

sites for social networking and

microblogging) through which users create

online communities to share information,

ideas, personal messages, and other

content (as videos)

(According to: http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/social%20media)

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A New Form of Weapon

Yemen, a cellphone camera is used

at an anti-government rally. This is

the cover story of the July 4 issue

of The Christian Science Monitor

weekly magazine, focusing on

Facebook, Twitter and the limits of

social media as the tools of civic

upheaval.

Click to View Source Page

Reuters photo / John Kehe illustrationIn

Egypt Revolution Background History

• Hosni Mubarak, autocratic leader for almost 30 years

• Oppressed people through torture, poverty, corruption, unemployment, education, and censorship

• Egyptian Youth Activists led the revolt and used social media to communicate through the planning and execution of the movement

• Strategies were planned that led to the Eighteen Day Revolution

• Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Egypt until the dictator gave up his power on February 11, 2011

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What are we missing?

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By NOT relying on the social media information,

In this event THIS is a risk you face:

Numbers Don’t Lie

• Social Media played a vital role in initiating

this revolution

• The commentaries online were the birth of

new communication freedoms

• This transferred to Blogs, where anyone can

publish anything and some Egyptians began

to express political voices on a regular basis

• An entire online community grew out of

these media outlets

• Finally, reaching the climax of

communication, as seen in the graphs here,

the online community developed into public

gatherings of people to protest.

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Seek Truth and Report It

• The truth was published by millions

of people gathering together –

through social media

• There were so many sources it

would be very difficult to dispute

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Minimize Harm

• Harm in this situation lies in the

human rights issue of whether these

people’s voices are heard

• There could be more harm from not

publishing the information on social

mediaPhoto Source Link – Page 9

Act Independently

• There is little potential to align with

anything other than the global

human rights centered issue

• The key is the timing and context

which counts in such dire situations

and a journalist has to be sure that

those are completed in the best

interest of the people at hand Photo Source Link – Page 10

Be Accountable

• This is a huge risk, but for the right

cause

• There is accountability in this

situation for whether a journalist

chooses to print or not to print

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Sissela Bok’s Model of Ethical Decision-Making

1. Must have

empathy for

people involved

Ethical

Decisions

2. To maintain

social trust

Two Key Objectives in Ethical Decision Making

Sissela Bok’s Model of Ethical Decision-Making

Three Questions to Answer:

1. Consult your conscience (right of

action)

2. ‘Is there another way to achieve the

goal that will not raise ethical issues?’

3. Conduct a public discussion to discover:

‘How will others respond to the

proposed act?’

Consult your conscience (Right of Action)

The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights “is a

common standard of achievement for all peoples and all

nations…” in which Article 19 states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion

and expression; this right includes freedom to

hold opinions without interference and to seek,

receive and impart information and ideas

through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

‘Is there another way to achieve the goal that will not raise ethical issues?’

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• Censorship by the

government is oppressive

• Media Controlled by the

government

• When government learned

of the power behind the

social media

communication, the

internet was shut-down

A clear threat - Growing

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A clear threat - Peaking

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A clear threat - Stopped

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A clear threat - Released

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Conduct a public discussion to discover: ‘How will others respond to the proposed act?’

• The people wanted to be

heard

• A World-wide view of this

situation cripples the

authoritarian government

• The quantity of people

documented on social media

was so large it is an irrefutable

source.

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Hundreds of Thousands gathered across Egypt

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VICTORY! EIGHTEEN DAY REVOLUTION

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CONCLUSION:

Journalist’s were ethical in using the social media as their source

• It was such a vital role in this revolution against a government hindering the human rights of so

many people.

• The excessive power over communication in this society needed to be challenged and

overthrown.

• The quantity of people publishing on social media on this issue creates a source that is to

difficult deny.

• World-wide coverage of these transpiring was an act of human right interest and create a

community of international unity.

Would you use social media as a source in this situation? What approach would you use?