Citizen journalists helping to bring news of the revolution in Myanmar to the world
The WSJ reports today on how bloggers and other citizen journalists are keeping the world informed about the situation in Myanmar:
As Myanmar’s regime cracks down on a growing protest movement, “citizen journalists” are breaking the news to the world.
At 1:30 yesterday afternoon, a cellphone buzzed with news for Soe Myint, the editor in chief of Mizzima News, a publication about Myanmar run by exiles in New Delhi.
The message: “There is a tourist shot down” in Yangon, the center of recent protests by Buddhist monks and others against the military junta in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Troops there were clearing the streets, telling protesters they had just minutes to go home — or be shot.
The text message wasn’t from one of Soe Myint’s reporters. In fact, he doesn’t know who sent the message. He believes it came from one of the more than 100 students, activists and ordinary citizens who have been feeding him reports, images and video of the violent events unfolding in recent days.
But in an effort to stifle the information flowing out of Myanmar via the I’net and cell phone, the military junta has shut off some cell phone service, as well as cut off Internet access. Michelle Malkin has more updates, including news on what’s happened to some area blogs and bloggers, including one whose blogposts have been completely erased, and his whereabouts unknown. The USA Today’s On Deadline blog has extensive coverage as well.
Prior: