Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

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Yesterday may have been a slow news day in the U.S. but in Tehran and other major Iranian cities there was major rioting in response to the government’s announcement that reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had lost the Presidential election by a landslide to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

For whatever reason, mainstream U.S. news media gave the street insurrection against the Iranian etablishment only cursory coverage. Not to worry: Into the void, Twitter, the breaking news channel of choice, rode to the rescue of those wishing to follow developments in real-time.

It continues today. The mullahs who control Iran may have blocked all cellphone calls, Internet access, and media coverage, but they can’t block Twitter. I’ve got six window open on my laptop as I key in these words, and they are all updating so rapidly that I could not possibly keep up with the action.

Here is a small sampling:

jadi: We can hear shootings.. many shoots. People are still shouting Allaho Akbar and Down With Dictator and “Mousavi/Karroubi where is my vote?” Tehran 2 minutes ago from choqoK
JomhuriyeIran: RT @nansen “The Revolution will be Twittered”. http://bit.ly/xJxyc (expand) #Iranelection #CNNfail #FoxNewsFail #MSMfail Tehran 5 minutes ago from web
mkhanjani: Now people loudly say “Alah o Akbar” (God is Great) from their home windows to show their protest againt cheating in election Tehran 7 minutes ago from web
parhamdoustdar: Going out to join the croud, with my mother guiding me. I will fill you in on the details soon! Sit tight! #iranElection Tehran, Iran 13 minutes ago from web
angry_lion: im going to take part in protests. i come back to the twitter if i would stay alive. Tehran, Iran 19 minutes ago from web
Students & people fighting back a large group of police & Basij right now at university of physics! I’m going to join them. #iranelection about 1 hour ago from TwitterFox

Over more than four decades of working as a journalist, I have never witnessed any live coverage more riveting than what is being provided via Twitter. The roughest and rawest first draft of history is being texted by the masses.

By comparison, all other forms of media seem, well, tired.

Tags: Web, Minute, Twitter, CNN, Channel Management, Construction, Marketing, David Weir

In addition to serving as a BNET Media analyst/blogger, David Weir is a veteran journalist and the author of several books. Weir is a co-founder and vice-president of the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as an editorial board member of The Nation.

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1

thedrich

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

Nice article and I've been watching to coverage, both via Twitter and CNN. My question is how, if the mullahs are blocking cell and internet access, are tweets getting out? I don't doubt the information coming through, just wondering how easy it is to locate a signal to login to twitter from that region.
2

hotweir

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

I have the same question, thedrich, because they blocked Facebook, and phones calls on cells. Maybe they were just unaware of Twitter? Or maybe there is another explanation. Many of the Tweets I read were clearly entered not via cellphones but from desktops or laptops. People said things like "I'm going out to demonstrate and will come back to Twitter later..."
3

DarrenCook

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

Even if blocked, the sites can be accessed via proxy servers.
4

hotweir

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

Yes I learned that today and people have been Tweeting proxy sites throughout the events of the past few days. This is an amazing moment in the development of Twitter, news media, and the news.
5

RaulCal

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

An acquaintenance says that Twitter sites are still accessible in various ways... people are still able to Twitter directly from Iran. BTW, she says Iranian people on Twitter are asking people to not post the names of Twitter users from Iran? To, instead of using the person?s name following the RT they are asking people just to write ?RTIRAN?.

Worldwide interest has persuaded Twitter to NOT shut down the system for scheduled maintenance tonight? Check out #nomaintenance on this? and...

http://blog.twitter.com/2009/06/down-time-rescheduled.html

If you want to follow the #iranelection? you will see 100+ new posts every 10 seconds or so?
6

hotweir

06/15/09 | Report as spam

RE: Twitter Users Put CNN to Shame on Iran Riot Coverage

Thanks. It's become clear tonight that the Iranian government has lost the battle to control information. They are giving up, essentially. I am getting ready to post to this effect.