From KGO-TV (ABC 7)
New technology helps report Iranian protests
By Amy Hollyfield
As things get more intense on the streets, Iranian officials are cracking-down on newspaper and broadcast journalists. Which means much of the latest news is now coming from tech-savvy Iranians using Twitter....
Facebook and twitter, YouTube and some blogs are providing a direct line of contact from the streets of Iran, despite attempts by the government there to shut down the flow of information."I've never seen coverage like this -- Tiananmen Square what did we really see, a few pictures form it? Now we are really seeing videos from the dorms as they're being attacked, mobs protecting a BBC cameraman on the street," said [I School lecturer] Howard Rheingold.
Rheingold isn't surprised by all this. He wrote the book "Smart Mobs" seven years ago-- focusing on how groups use technology to organize. However, he is impressed by how quickly the Iranians are getting the information out.
"They know how to do things with the technology that's available to them that is somewhat vexing to old school power," said Rheingold....
