Web journalism's forte during Israeli-Hamas conflict

From the album:
"Ramattan During WAR ON GAZA" by Hamza El Attar In this photo: Hamza El Attar, Tamer Almisshal (photos)

A report by AP is further proof of the web's increasing hegemony over trad media.

AP reports during the Israel-Hamas conflict Al Jazeera outflanked all other media including CNN, because it had:

• Reporters on the ground inside Gaza
• Used social networks extensively to push media e.g. twitter.

Ayman Mohyeldin , Al Jazeera's 29 year of correspondent emerges as a star reporter assesses AP, which is another break in tradition.

Warcos (see front page of Viewmagazine.tv) nowadays across the networks tend to over thirty, more in their forties.

The picture above is one of my stars, whose nebula hasn't near expanded to what it will be.

Tamer Almisshal, who started his career as a correspondent with the BBC in Gaza, age 24, and is now with Al Jazeera.

According to AP, AJ's web figures rose by 600 percent. In the US, where they have little to none TV presence, 60 percent of their web jump came from US-based onliners.

That jump is repeated with shows like Riz Khan's Q and A.


AJs continuing web rise
Riz, a good friend and renowned international broadcast figure, alongside AJs brand, demonstrates that while policymakers may seek to curtail media penetration, the web will provide freer access points and viewers will decide over regulators what they want.


Watch out for an interview between our Masters students and Mark Regev, Israeli government spokesperson, which took place two years ago and features a Q and A from Tamer.

Read AP's article here.


Another Star- this week
This week I'll post an interview with Rania Al Malky, one of the youngest and most dynamic editors in Egypt.

She's one of the few women editors in the country of a daily newspaper, which in itself is one of the few, if not only, independent English language newspaper in the region.

The Daily News is distributed with the International Herald Tribune.

BBC man in Gaza - Tamer Almisshal

Tamer is now in Gaza, so I will run the full interview I conducted with him over the weekend. If you're a journalism student it's worth watching for its inspiration. If you're an existing journalists, did I mention it's worth watching for its inspiration.

Tamer with his friend and BBC Colleague Alan Johnston. Tamer was one of Alan's producers when he was based in Gaza

Egyptian journos look to the future

Viewers of BBC Newsnight will recall an item on bloggers from Egypt the previous week. New Media meets the old guard - quite literally in a report by the BBC's world affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi, that gave a perspective of press/ judiciary freedom and how the authorities handle bloggers.

So with the currency of that and my own career interest in ME (though I fess I have been thin on the ground as late) I was fascinated to meet with a group of senior Egyptian Journalists in the UK on a fact-finding tour.

They were journalists of all hues with a few bloggers and twitters as well. The exchange was encouraging and Masters Journalism student Tamer Almisshal whom I invited along gave a wonderful account of new and emerging media and its signficance to the region.

Summed up, Tamer, a former BBC producer from Gaza, who will likely resume his role once he completes the remaining few months of his masters said: "We have the stories and they ( the west) have the technology", adding more or less that learning everything one needed to know about journalism in the UK would stand Egyptian journalists in good stead.

No this wasn't a commercial punt and neither was my lecture peeling back web2.0 plus and video journalism. Any web cum video journalism savvy region could positively contribute to the reportage and understanding of a region whose problems need no elaboration.
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I remember years back at WTN glued to Sat 41 pictures on the night shift. Back then as now, many pundits will likely comment journalism is healthy and gotten more transparent (not a point I want to argue here) but undoubtedly Newish Media, youtube, digital journalism one could ARGUE has a far more penetrating value ( basket for basket) than how we take it for granted here in the UK.

I have said the same for reportage in Ghana and various African regions. Tarek Atia's site is an interesting case. The tools, the assets - all about improving commuications. It may not be your idea of cutting edge but ranks a healthy 100,000 in google ranking.

He's a busy man, but video, pods etc would definately improve his waistline and those who regularly pay him a visit for the portal news he distributes.

The journalists I met have expressed a deep desire to understand more about the ways of the web 2. journalist; the Tamer's and his class mates who shoot video, pictures, make web sites, blog, index with google rich tags, produce promos and heavens knows what else in these unfolding times.

If it can help us better understand the matrix of ME politics then we're better for it.

p.s here's the book I reccommended Blog by Hugh Hewitt. If you've any other additions do post/email me and I'll pass it on