Create your own media message - a community guide

"If we play by their rules we lose, if we create our own rules we have a chance"

Once again the power of of social media can not only be seen in its ability to spread information but also in its power to challenge the way in which the mainstream media sets the agenda on a particular issue, even in places as far apart as The Gaza Strip and Ferguson, Missouri. Despite the vast differences in both geography and cause both cases show that even the most well-oiled media machine can be challenged by ordinary people on the ground using tools such as Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. 

Here are some tips for anyone who wants to use the power of the internet to get their message across and give themselves leverage in their dealings with more traditional forms of media.

1 A community or group should never rely solely on mainstream media to get their message out. It's naive to believe they're are neutral parties in many news events. Remember TV channels and newspapers are often large organisations whose first loyalty is to those who own and/or control them and not to you. In the worst case scenario you are simply another lunch item on their menu, to be consumed today and forgotten tomorrow.

2 Even if the reporter on the scene is sympathetic to your cause, they are often not in charge of how the final story is seen. They may be on your side but as we have seen from coverage in Gaza there is often a massive disconnect between the story reported by those on the ground via Twitter and the one that reaches viewers and readers back home once the editorial line comes into play.

3 Yes, cultivate media who seem sympathetic, but remember media organisations frequently come to a story with their own agenda. Check them out on the internet see if their views and your views coincide. Do not take it on faith that what a journalist tells you is what they are telling their audience.

4 Don't just give the news channels "raw material" in the form of video, footage or interviews without knowing who they are and how they operate. Too many of those in the media see "civilians" as just another expendable resource to be used and then discarded in order to get their story out. Remember once you hand over your material you have no control over how it will be edited and presented. 

5 Use your existing online and offline social networks to communicate your message, share material, produce your own media. The more people who can help you, especially in the beginning, the more others are likely to pick up on it later on and promote your cause. Remember on the internet you have the possibility of contacting sympathetic voices across the globe.

6 Share materials and talent with those around you. If you can, form a group that will allow you to pool talents, materials and resources. Whether it is video footage from a different angle, access to PCs or a gift with writing or photography, your community or group is likely to be a treasure trove as far as material and skills are concerned, it's your job to make the most of these gifts.

7 If a community  or group produces its own coverage (video/pictures/written accounts) it stands a better chance of getting its story out intact.  The more you can do for yourself, the less your have to rely on media outsiders taking your story out of your hands and turning into something you do not recognise. If nothing else you can point people to your version when calling out distorted accounts produced by others.

Video can edited with free tools  with  programs such as Windows Movie Maker which comes pre-installed on many Windows PCs (see here for training video). It allows you to make your videos shorter and more effective and also means you can add media (video, photographs or audio) from many different sources.

8 None of this needs a lot of cash or fancy equipment but it does take time and you will need some technical skills which are well worth learning. A good place to begin is the Witness.org site which is full of practical tips on using video for activism. It is designed to teach those not in media how to cover different events in a professional manner and how to keep yourself and those whose stories you are covering safe. Check out their YouTube channel here. 

If you are going to use photographs rather than video then always remember that a short text describing what is happening in the picture adds to your audience's understanding of the context of the event and also makes your image more credible. 

9 Don't forget to licence your images (be they video, articles or photos) under a Creative Commons licence when posting them online. This means that media outlets cannot just claim that once you posted them you allowed free use of use them to anyone. Of course many will steal your work anyway but at least a CC licence gives you some kind of legal leverage and shows your audience that you are the victim of copyright theft and not just negligent or naive. See more on CC in this video.

Ανοιχτό διάλογο με τους χρήστες του facebook εγκαινίασε ο πρόεδρος τηςΝΔ, Αντώνης Σαμαράς.

Ανοιχτό διάλογο με τους χρήστες του facebook εγκαινίασε ο πρόεδρος της ΝΔ, Αντώνης Σαμαράς., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

New Democracy are banking on drumming up more support in their election bid by using social media.

Problem is that they have a top down command structure and rarely listen to others, all of which means their campaign is likely to flounder.

Is this UK media's Waterloo?

With the News of the World phone hacking scandal knocking over its own set of dominoes,  a real debate is kicking off in Britain over the state of the country's mainstream media and in particular the uncomfortably cozy nature of the way in which big business, journalists and politicians work together to decide upon what the rest of us get to consume as news.

In many respects the situation in Britain closely replicates the situation here in Greece as far as the media is concerned. In both countries media conglomerates are owned by the very rich who do not hesitate to use their position to set the political agenda in order to ensure their interests are either protected or extended. In this they are assisted by both journalists and politicians eager to curry favour with owners in return for the kind of publicity that will advance their careers.

As for the rest of us, we are just treated as rather silly children who must be seen but not heard, occasionally a few of us are asked our opinion on the issues of the day but this is little more than window dressing, and is no way is allowed to interfere with the media's real job which is promoting the views of the wealthy and powerful.

I suppose those living in Greece should be thankful that the local media corporations are less practiced in the dark arts of spin than their UK counterparts and so their efforts often fail to convince, either that or Greeks, long accustomed to the constant media drone of state and non state propaganda are less credulous than UK consumers and so more cyncial about whatever claim or counter claim the media chooses to make.

Following the flame out at News International it is time once again to look at the simmering conlict between old and new media or perhaps more accurately between corporate embedded media and those operating outside the hermetically sealed world of political reporting. For too long those of using the new, powerful tools offered by the internet have taken traditional journalism's claims about superior accuracy and professionalism for granted.

What is emerging now in the wake of News of the World/ Times debacle is cold, hard truth is that much of commercial journalism is deeply corrupt and has no real claim to being better than the work done by bloggers and the like. When the slick presentaion is removed what really distinguishes media players from their independent counterparts? It certainly isn't integrity if the stories coming out of Wapping are to be believed.

Remembering December 2008

Greek students mark second anniversary of death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos in December 2008, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

For most people the defining moments of their life usually come during youth when we still have the passion and energy to give a damn about the world around them rather than just sit on the sofa and curse at the TV screen.

For me, however that experience came to me in my forties, hardly an age given over to violent uncontrollable emotion, Yet something in me was woken by the news that police officers had gunned down a 15 year old for no apparent reason in central Athens. I cannot say what I expected when I joined a demonstration on the following morning, an uncharacteristically warm Sunday morning. perhaps a small march with a few hundred (if that) politically active students which would last about an hour before everyone went back home or grabbed a bit to eat.

Instead thousands of people of all ages appeared and then more and still more till the marcher numbered anywhere near 10,000. But as well as the larger than expected turn out I noticed other, more worrisome signs such as the guys rapidly stuffing the necks of beer bottles with cloth.

From the beginning there was a feeling of anger and rage from many in the march, an undefinable sense that some unwritten covenent had been broken and that it wasn't business as usual. That was confirmed when the march verred off its usual route and made its way to the central police station in Aristotelous Square. Moving a little ahead of the front of the crowd I witnessed the first wave of clashes between protesters and riot police, a scene that would be repeated endless times over the following month in Thessaloniki and every other Greek city.

The police responded with endless rounds of tear gas and baton charges yet, almost miraculously people scattered then reformed, determined not to be intimidated by them. The rage and anger towards the police then mutated as the protests went on day after day into a general sense of violent discontent with the authorities in general.

Witnessing these events reminded me of all the account I had read of the student revolts of the late Sixties including Paris in 1968. Yet these protesters were not just teens or college students but rather came from virtually every age group including pensioners who red with anger would hurl the most furious insults at police officers.

The other aspect of the events of December and January was the sense of unreality that came from listening to the mainstream Greek media's account of the events which ranged from clueless to perneciously misleading. At a loss to explain a revolt which owed nothing to traditional party politics they attempted to describe it either in terms of mindless hooliganism or shadowy conspiracy theories.

It was then that I realised the true power of internet tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and blogs as they quickly proved a far more reliable source of information than TV stations which lumbered through the crisis like a half-blind brontosauras.

Two years on the conditions which fuelled the massive protests of 2008 have worsened still further and the anger feel by many then has grown and intensified as people feel betrayed by their leaders. The ruling political caste seems even more cut off from its popular grassroots support than ever before and seem oblivious that they are standing in the middle of a pool of petrol flicking cigarette butts into the void.

Guardian gagging order backfires on Trafigura

The Streisand effect is when in trying to ban something you, in fact amplify it and bring it, inadvertently to a wider audience. Named after singer Barbra Streisand it is of course is not a new tactic as record companies from the 70's knew. Getting a record banned on radio or TV was great for business and often guaranteed top 10 sales.

In the latest example of the phenomenon is brought to us by Trafigura, an oil trading company based in London which has been trying to gag media coverage worldwide of illegal toxic waste dumping in the Ivory Coast. Despite repeated claims by the company that the waste was completely harmless Trafigura agreed to pay $100 million to 31,000 victims affected by exposure to toxic oil residues dumped just outside the country's capital, Abidjan. Since then Trafigura through it's legal representatives, Carter-Ruck has been waging a campaign across the globe to stop exposure of the incident. This has included law to gag media outlets in the UK, US, Norway and Holland. The latest round has included action against the Guardian newspaper which as it says in today's edition,

"Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.

The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.

The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations."

If Trafigura and Carter-Ruck hope to keep the lid on this story then I think they have sadly underestimated the new media landscape that the internet is in the process of creating. Such attempts to bury a story now produce exactly the opposite results as Trafigure already knows, finding itself at the centre of a web based maelstrom. Whatever happens in courts today the deaths and injuries caused by the toxic waste in landfills in Abidjan is likely to fill front pages for days to come.

In the time it took to write this artilce over 5000 new tweets tagged #trafigura have appeared on Twitter and has become one of the top trending topics on the micro-blogging service.

Social media and the Greek elections 2009

Greek elections 2007, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

It should be interesting to see what, if any impact social media will have on the coming national elections here in Greece. Of course the decision to call elections at such short notice has caught many on the hop but I shall be keeping an eye out for what is happening on the Greek language blogosphere and other outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

I think there is the dawning realisation that the internet will become more important in the future as far as getting the message out to voters is concerned but still the kind of web based electioneering we saw in the last US presidential campaign is still far off. Use of the internet remain low and those in charge of the political parties' campaigns continue to put their faith in more traditional media channels such as TV, radio and newspapers, which will get the lion's share of the millions that are going to be spent in the next three weeks.

On the other hand all parties have got a significant presence on the internet and are slowly starting to exploit platforms such as blogs, though these still tend to be just places to display material produced for other sources. I don't see much evidence of grass roots use of such tools to get voters out or co-ordinate activism.

I shall be following events with my camera as the various parties roll through Thessaloniki and give press conferences and organise rallies.

Happy birthday Asteris!!! - Chronia Polla

Yesterday was a full day with lessons to go to, protests to cover and parties to attend. The highlight of the day was Asteris's party which attracted the creme de la creme of the Greek language blogosphere. Anyone who is anyone on Twitter, blogs etc was there. Also it was great once again to see all the people whose work I follow on the net in real life. There was plenty of laughter, ribbing, gossip, dancing and plain ol' fun, which put paid to that tired old cliche that us bloggers write about life as we do not have one our own. Pictures can be found here.

I just spent the last few minutes catching up on everyone's via Twitter and once again it reinforces my belief that social media is all about being social, allowing us to connect with others in ways that were not possible beforehand. In a city as big as Thessaloniki it would be very difficult otherwise to meet and keep in contact with so many like minded people without the internet.

Social media - How to get started.

An introduction

Citizen reporter, blogger, independent volunteer journalist. You know that you’re at the start of a major change in the way things work when the new phenomenon spawns a whole raft of names. Although the buzz over the Internet and especially the whole web 2.0 phase has died down the fact that the technology has ceased to be cutting edge or even unusual means that the really interesting changes in the way people use it are probably happening as we speak.

One of the most visible signs of this is the changing role of the public in the way news is created and disseminated. Wider access to the Internet, dropping prices in digital cameras and the emergence of a range of ways of putting material on the net easily is transforming the way people interact with the media.

Of course, this is not a new idea as as long as the media has been round there have been those who have sought to get their story out to a wider audience without recourse to traditional channels. The difference today is the entry level and the potential number of people who can be reached.

Up till recently media meant heavy investment in equipment, be it the printing press or the TV studio. In addition there was also a similar need for highly trained technicians to use the tools involved. As a result those capable of bearing this financial burden was limited to a lucky few.

All that is changing the cost of putting out a story has effectively dropped to zero. Even the possession of a computer is no longer a pre-requisite as access to the Internet either through Internet cafes or say, public libraries means that nearly everyone can compete on even terms.

What equipment do I need?

At the most basic level nothing more sophisticated than a notepad, pen and cell phone with a camera.

If you have the resources then I would recommend a video camera, a DSLR and a light Wi-Fi equipped sub - notebook. Looking at the prices here in Greece all this would cost you around about 700 euros.

Remember spending a whole bunch of money is not going to help you get your story out. The perfect image, a wickedly edited video clip or state of the art laptop is not what citizen journalism is all about nor can it replace your single, most important advantage - local knowledge.

What sites should I join?

There are a number of news sites that allow people to upload stories to the Internet. This is just a selection of the more popular ones rather than a definitive list. Look out for similar sites in your own area and/or language.

Indymedia (there are branches all over the world, so look for your local one)

Nowpublic.com

ireport (part of CNN)

Globalvoicesonline

Also many news sites such as the BBC allow people to upload pictures and ask for written contributions form people affected by news stories. this is often a good way to get in contact with the mainstream media.

Video

If you want to upload video then opening up an account with Youtube and Google Video is a must. Just remember that Youtube’s free account limits videos to just 10 minutes, however, longer videos can be sent to Google Video.

By posting video on these sites you make it a lot easier for people to post them on their own sites. Instead of having to upload videos to each site you contribute to you can do it just once and then embed them wherever you like.

Photographs

Both Flickr and Photobucket allow you to upload pictures onto the net, to form groups and find the latest pictures taken by people involved in breaking news stories around the world.

Blogs

Having your own site on the Internet is a great way of increasing your credibility and offers another way for you communicate your stories to a wider audience. In addition the act of keeping a blog updated is a great way of learning writing and presentation skills.

Remember also that the personal nature of blogging means that you can express more personal views or yourself in a more impassioned way.

Here are some of the most popular blog providers;

Blogspot

Wordpress

Livejournal

These are great ways to get in contact with others;

Facebook

Myspace

Hi5

What do I report about?

This is perhaps the most difficult hurdle to overcome as it requires more than learning a few technical skills and there is no simple answer as everyone is motivated by different things.

However, it is a good idea to start with what you know best, i.e your neighbourhood, profession, social networks you belong to etc.

Alternatively, you could start commenting on what you are most passionate about no matter where it takes place. On the Internet we are free to roam anywhere and learn from many different sources.

Where do I find out about news stories that are not covered in the mainstream media?

As well as our networks of friends and family there also other places on the Internet to find out what is happening in our local area. Look up your town, region in Technorati or Google blog search for the latest developments in the blogosphere. In addition check out what is happening via Twitter search. Twitter is a great source for finding out what is happening now.

Also if there a Indymedia site for your area, check out the latest events and activities.

The most important thing though is to be there. When legendary street photographer Weegee was asked the secret of his success, he replied, “F8 (referring to the camera setting) and be there”. Being on the spot is often the most important thing you can do. All the rest is detail.

How to start writing?

The first thing to remember is that writing is not necessary. A video with you speaking to camera is just as effective as an article and so allows those who do not feel comfortable with the written word to produce insightful reports which can be shared with others. However, some thoughts scribbled down and a couple of practice run throughs will make your ideas a lot easier to follow.

If you do wish to write your stories don’t let the fact that you have not had training in J-school put you off. The style used in newspapers etc. can be picked up quickly if you want to practice. Blogging is a great way of doing so without having to get everything right straight away.

Remember that writing something is infinitely preferable to nothing and people will forgive any imperfections.

On the other hand if you want to be credible then there are some journalism skills that you absolutely have to respect. Accuracy, checking sources and honesty are essential no matter who you are and where you write if you want to be taken seriously. It is not enough to be passionate if you want to reach a wider audiences. Simply repeating or accepting sources simply because you agree with their opinion or point of view will not get you taken seriously.

Double check as far as possible claims you see made in blogs, Twitter etc, go to the original sources, official accounts etc when you can. Do not blindly accept one person’s version of events no matter much you agree with them. If this is not possible then make it clear than the readers know that this story may not be 100% accurate.

Distinguish between opinion and fact. Too often people present their ideas on a story as fact and seem to assume that others will share their view. On the Internet this simply is not true as most of those reading will be neutral and so your impassioned accounts may come over as a rant. A dispassionate tone is more likely to get you the kind of coverage you want.

Of course, if you wish to post to your personal blog and not a news site then you have more flexibility in the way you approach a story.

How to catch people’s eye?

Content is the most important thing. You should aim to make your stuff as interesting as possible. This can be done by using a mix of different media; video and pictures accompanied by text is the ideal combination.

Link to people. If you blog then link to sites that the think other should read, ask them to reciprocate. If you mention other sources in your posts make sure you link to them. This also means that you ranking on Google’s search pages will increase.

Tag everything. Tags are the key words that help others find your stories so whenever you add text, pictures or video make sure you add tags that let others know what is being talked about.

Use RSS. Most sites now allow you to use RSS automatically, it means that people can follow your blogs, Flickr page etc far more easily.

Post widely. If you have a story to tell then post it on as many different sites as possible. Don’t just leave it languishing on your blog. Also join blogging aggregating sites such as Technorati, Icerocket and Del.icio.us. These allow others to find you more easily.

Post regularly. People will quickly stop turning up if you post infrequently and your ranking in Google’s search engine will suffer accordingly. Once a week if you can.

Be credible. If you prove to be a reliable source people will search you out to find out the latest updates on a story.

Be sociable. Join groups on the Internet which share your views and interests. They will help get your message out as well.

Anti - government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece

Anti - government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Thousands of students and other groups took to the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki yesterday to protest the present Greek government and its policies.

The government has announced that it has decided on a policy of zero tolerence in dealing with Greece's recent wave of unrest and the change in the ruling New Democracy party's change in tactics was seen in a more aggresive stance on the part of the MAT (Greek riot police) on Friday.

However, the change has proved to be less effective than hoped for as most of the arrests carried out the Athens authorities turned out to be lawyers acting as volunteer legal advisors to those taking part in yesterday's march. The 18 lawyers have filed a suit against deputy minister for law and order, after the head of the riot squad that detained them said that he was carrying out a "political decision", according a report on the Greek TV station Skai's, web site.

In addition the Athenian union of newspaper correspondents (ESIEA) have officially complained to the ministry of law and order over the beating of journalists and other members of the media by the police during yesterday's march.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/greek-protests-resume-after-holiday-lull

Also the independent Greek news agency tvxs.gr posted video of riot police intimidating innocent citizens after the march. If you fast forward to 9 mins you'll see them harrassing a senior citizen who dared to question their authority.

Oscar Grant

Image from signsonsandiego.com

There is something eerily reminiscent about the shooting of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California in the early hours of New Year's Day. According to reports the 22 year old was shot whilst being arrested in a BART (metro) station. Video footage was has come to light shows that Grant was on the ground with his hands handcuffed behind his back when the police officer fired his weapon.

BART officials have said Grant was unarmed and implied the shooting was an accident, saying the officer's gun discharged while he and four other officers responded to reports that two groups of young men were fighting on a train that had come from San Francisco and was en route to the Dublin/Pleasanton station.

As with the Alexis Grigoropoulos shooting the first reaction of the police was to blame the victim to officially state that the person killed had caused the incident. In both situations it seems that these organisations have forgotten that respect for the law doesn't come from the barrel of a gun.

News of the killing sparked off riots which resulted in hundreds of arrests. Once again blogs, Youtube Twitter, Flickr and other internet sources have been at the forefront of events. Thanks to Lane Hartwell for being part of the effort to get the story out.

Here is video of the incident taken from the train.

Here is video taken by a passer - by.

Social media and the Greek uprising

Photo by Marplej@ne - Under Deconstruction

One of the most striking features of the recent series of revolts, rebellions and riots in Greece over the last few weeks is the use of social media to relay what has been happening to a wider audience. What I have witnessed is a form of internet hyper - Darwinism in which the forces of change which usually take years have been compressed into a time frame measured in weeks.

Before the recent troubles the use of Twitter, blogs, video sharing services and the like was a pretty limited affair. Many of those on the Left, and much of Greek political life saw the internet as irrelevant as TV, newspapers, public meetings, leafleting and marches were the order of the day. In addition there was a general distrust of the medium, an extension of the Greek Left's ambivalent relationship with the media in general.

For many TV, radio and newspapers are inherently biased and corrupt. Unfortunately, such claims, though often exaggerated have an element of truth to them. The state - run TV networks follow the line set down by the party in power and whilst not Stalinist in their propaganda style (why lie when you can spin?) are no more objective than say, Fox news.

On the other hand many of the private channels follow other agendas set down by their owners who see the TV and print as the PR wing of their business interests. A way of leveraging their position vis - a - vie the state, which is by far the biggest player in the Greek economy.

However, as the protests continued more and more people discovered the power of the net to organise, inform and disseminate their message without having recourse to the mainstream channels. They discovered that they too, could get out their message to a wider audience far beyond their borders. In addition, media outlets from around the world quickly gained access to sources of information which told a very different story from the local media's version of events which depended on more traditional news gathering tools.


With this realisation came a burst of creativity in terms of tactics, slogans, self expression. The hundreds of school occupations quickly started setting up blogs, thousands of those taking part in demonstrations started posting pictures and videos on the net, citizen journalism sites started getting eyewitness counts of the events as they were happening.

I thought that this would eventually happen in Greece but I predicted to my friends that it would take two, three years. Instead it took three weeks.The genie is now out of the bottle and I think that those working in the traditional media have been given a nasty wake up call. They've read about this kind of stuff in America and France but suddenly it has turned up, unbidden on their own door step.