TV-News+Update+1

=Fox News Interrupts News Coverage to launch "The Daily"= Sarah Jasso

In the midst of the mayhem unraveling in Egypt, and the currently branded "Storm of the Century" Fox News choose an alternate story to spotlight on Wednesday. Rather than showing real news coverage in Egypt, the news network decided to omit the Egypt segment in exchange for a promotional spot, where they could plug the semi-anticipated iPad application known as The Daily. The idea to promote The Daily, an offspring of the two giant corporations Apple and News Corp, was clearly a premeditated agreement. The fact that they continued with this agreement could hurt their credibility. http://www.tvnewsinsider.com/11003

=Egypt in Peril =

Adam White
====Unless you were living under a sound proof rock, you would know the top news story in the world is the turmoil in Egypt. The people of Egypt are protesting, fighting, and now dying for the freedoms citizens in the United States take for granted, such as freedom of speech. The masses are also upset at the fact that their current leader, President Hosni Mubarak, has failed to deliver enough jobs to take his people out of the poverty level. The reason why I am bringing attention to this story is not because there are protests taking place (protests occur all the time), but because the role social networking is playing on the matter. Folks in Egypt were using their Twitter accounts and Facebook accounts to alert their people of upcoming protests, the situation on the ground and to express their thoughts on Mubarak and the impact the United States is making in the process. Let’s not forget, other communication strategies like the camera have shot incredible images coming out Egypt. Bottom line, older forms of communication are still as relevant as they were when they came out. There is also the image of the frightened policeman pointing his gun at the people to restore order in the chaos. Social networking provides a voice to the voiceless (the people). Mubarak and his regime have gotten so concerned of the political upheaval, they have shut down the Internet completely. The Fox News story discusses that the people of Egypt have resorted to “old-fashion” means of communication like the landline, to communicate with one another. Social networking is now working as a check and balance on repressive and dictatorial regimes such as Iran, Tunisia and now Egypt. This is of course, an unintended consequence of the original purpose of the social networking realm that we now live and breathe in. Many believe this message of change and freedom will spread across the Arab world in countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Time will tell. ====

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** Attacks on Television Reporters in Cairo **

**Andrea Alfano**

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I found an article from the //New York Times// online newspaper called “Journalists are attacked in Cairo,” that discusses how the violent uprising is affecting reports in Egypt. CNN television correspondent, Anderson Cooper and his crew were attacked by pro-Mubarak supporters in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Another CNN television correspondent, Hala Gorani was threatened by Mubarak supporters as well. Reporters Without Borders says it has received many confirmed reports about foreign and local journalists and reporters being targeted and attacked. What I found most interesting about the attacks on the reporters was that they came after Egypt restored Internet access for the first time in a week. I felt that these incidents were important in the realm of television news because it shows the dangers of being a field reporter. It shows that some journalists and reporters are willing to put their lives in danger in order to keep the public informed on the events around the world.

Elizabeth Stone
 * New Service Lets Voices From Egypt Be Heard**

I found an article in the //New York Times// that discusses a social media technology that is currently being used in Egypt, which allows Twitter Tweets to be posted, with out internet access or connection. This new technology links Google, Twitter, and SayNOW, which is a voice based social media outlet and gives Egyptians three different numbers to call. These numbers allow users to leave a message, which ends up posted on the Internet and recorded as a Twitter Tweet. This innovation allows Egyptian protesters to bypass the Egyptian government’s blocks on the Internet and still use social networking sites as a way to pass on information about rallies, as well as keep the people and outside world informed of the current situation. I chose this article because it demonstrates how the Egyptian people are combing a new social networking site with a current one to continue their revolution. It also exhibits that even though the government cut off Internet, the people were innovative in finding a new way to get their messages out.

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= Alternative Tech in Egypt = Tucker Bass

With twitter and facebook becoming ubiquitous forms of communication-especially in countries experiencing turmoil in the middle east-older technology has found a niche as a means of communication in a war-stricken environment. As most of us are aware, the internet and most other forms of communication to the outside world were shut off in Egypt as the government attempted to quell the protests and stop people from organizing and sending images/ information out to the world. Twitter has become such an integral communication tool, as evidence by events in Iran and Tunisa. With the internet shut off, what were Egyptians to do? Older yet still viable tools have become useful again. Fax machines and dial-up modems running through phone lines have allowed Egyptians to get the word out by circumventing the Internet. Even ham radios have found purpose again as the military-run government attempts to deal with a revolution. I found it interesting that with all the attention going towards social media as a critically important tool for news, what would happen if the internet simply did not exist and individuals had to find other ways to communicate. This is exactly what is happening in Cairo, and although the methods being used may not be as instantaneous as a tweet or facebook post, they are just as viable and critically important.

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=As Egypt Erupts, Al Jazeera Offers Its News for Free to Other Networks= Andrew Burer

As people continue to find innovative uses for new forms of media, such as the Egyptian’s use of the social media outlets Facebook and Twitter, older forms of media are learning to adapt as well. While the United States and the rest of the world watch the turmoil in Egypt, news sources from around the globe are sharing footage and critical reporting from the ground. Particularly, major American news outlets are relying on the Arab news network, Al Jazeera. Although Al Jazeera is not available on American cable systems, except for a few areas in Vermont, Ohio, and Washington D.C., it hasn’t stopped news agencies across the country from relying on the first hand footage from Al Jazeera’s reporters in Egypt. According to a company spokesman, the Qatar based news network has “seven teams in Cairo, plus multiple reporters in Alexandria, Suez, and Ismailia.” Al Jazeera has made their footage available worldwide through their “Creative Commons” website for free as long as the borrowers give credit for the network’s coverage and live footage. Furthermore, Al Jazeera’s website saw a 2500% increase in traffic, 50% coming from the United States. While social media has been the sole proprietor for real time individual information sharing, traditional media outlets are furthering the movement for real time, reliable media coverage from a business to business perspective. It is important to note that as the world continues to rely more on live coverage in the existing information age, all forms of media are collaborating and beginning to intertwine the particular uses of each outlet. []