We will debrief about the "voices" projects and prepare for our next meeting with John (May 11). In preparation for class on Wednesday, I would like for you to read an article called "Documenting Conflict in Misurata, Libya Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery," which utilizes geo-spatial technologies and social media feeds, particularly the twitter Feb17Voices project. How does this scholarly article use the tweets and audio interviews with people on the ground as evidence, documentation, and primary source material?
Also: I would like you to read as many tweets as possible from the Feb17voices project. Please post and comment on several tweets that you find particularly significant in documenting part of the history of the violence in Libya.
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
ReplyDeleteLPC #Misrata (3/3): captured #Gaddafi soldiers (planned attack continued...) 4. Via Zawiyat al Mahjoub area. #Libya
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata (2/3): captured #Gaddafi soldiers (planned attack continued...) 3. Via the West from the Coastal Road from from Al Zrig area.
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata (1/3): captured #Gaddafi soldiers said 'planned' attack has 4 prongs 1. East via heavy transport road, 2. South from airport
3 Apr
John, it's pretty incredible you were able to get this kind of specific information from one of your callers. I do not know the exact timeline of events so did this tweet help Libyans prepare and defend against an attack or was it after the fact?
I was also really impressed on your detailed information from the April 5 attacks on Misrata. Did your tweets protect anyone or were they simply informational? And what was their intended purpose (informational or for people to protect themselves)?
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
ReplyDeleteAudio from LPC with #Misrata [English] shortly. Update from the city, discussion of "trust issue" with NATO, airstrikes. #Libya
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata w/Young fighter: remarks that many journalists appear to have been leaving #Misrata.
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata: Trust issue over targeting is why we would like small unit from NATO to come to Misrata. #Libya
LPC #Misrata: A "Trust problem" between NATO and rebels...NATO not fully trusting rebels' coordinates for targeting. #Libya
I think it is great how efficient the tweets can get the information out to the public in a timely and concise manner. With a limited number of characters, we are able to remain up to date on current issues at hand like the trust issue between rebels and NATO. It is a play by play of events that we can have access to even though we are thousands of miles away. This set of tweets shows the extent to which Twitter can be a source of information from multiple viewpoints and widen the public sphere.
I have a a few questions for you, John. Is this trust issue between the rebels and NATO still ongoing or has it been resolved for the most part? Is it hard to confirm the accuracy and details of such events like this one? Because journalists seem to leaving Misrata presumably because of the danger, has that affected your project in any way (i.e. is it harder for you to access information about the events taking place there;do you find that your role in releasing information about Libya is even more important, etc.)
The article shows what happens in the area from the camera on top of the city when there are specific events happen like when the tanks are outside the hospital. This provides concrete evidence of violence due to the government. With black and white or in fact colored snapshots of the area, it clearly reveal the chaotic situation in Libya.
ReplyDelete"3 explosions heard in #Tripoli, to the east."
"Strong" explosion heard in #Tripoli. Jets heard in sky. #Libya.
With explosions heard multiple times a day, how can there be no violence in Libya.
LPC #Misrata Doctor says: 10 killed, 50 injured in past 24 h in #Misrata #Libya
And the statistic of casualty keeps increasing daily due to violence in Libya.
The article seems to use the reports and primary source material as a way to follow the outcome of the conflict as well as a way to give support to the visual evidences and the satellite pictures. The reports seem to explain what can been seen in the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThis idea is well illustrated by the following sentence:
"Reports indicate that the conflict in Misurata has led to thousands of people wounded,5 yet the parking lot of the city's major functioning hospital, the Polyclinic, is empty. This is consistent with eyewitness accounts that the building was evacuated due to its proximity to the fighting (Figure 6)."
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
Audioboo: LPC #Jadou: [ENGLISH] preparing to defend against another attack as Gaddafi forces regroup #libya http://boo.fm/b341259
26 Avr
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
Audioboo: LPC #Jadou: [ENGLISH] Revolutionists were able to push out Gaddafi forces occupying al Mjabra #libya #feb17 http://boo.fm/b341240
26 Avr
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
AJA: Gaddafi forces continue to strike Misrata's port despite claiming to have withdrawn from the city #libya #feb17
I think theses tweets are significant because they demonstrate the progression of the conflict day by day and how revolutionaries are constantly fighting against a bigger and more powerful ennemy but still managing to achieve small victories.
The last tweet is significant because is shows the misinformation from the government and its propaganda.
LPC #Misrata caller: Gaddafi forces and material massing in Zlitan are here: http://bit.ly/m71On2 (Inside fenced area) Google Maps Link.
ReplyDeleteI found this tweet particularly interesting because it shows you how precise John’s project can be, all thanks to the internet. On broadcast TV, journalists would have had to get clear footage of the area or else it would never make it on the news. Thanks to this informal source of news we can get very precise information.
AJA: #Turkey asks NATO to step up efforts to protect civilians. #Libya
This tweet shows that John’s project presents a clear series of events, not just a bunch of tweets put together. The people tweeting what is happening around them, but it also put into context with references to what is occurring on the world stage.
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
AJA: Revolutionists say that NATO planes strike a Gaddafi tank near Rujban #feb17 #libya
I found this tweet particularly interesting because of its wording. The fact that this post says “revolutionists say that…” instead of passing off the info as a fact is particularly important. The issue with internet news is that it is often not well filtered but John in his project tries to keep his information as real and concrete as possible.
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
ReplyDeleteLPC #Misrata: "There is No glory, no honor with out cost, and without sacrifice. Every day we lose a good man." #Libya
16 hours ago
feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata: "We continue to fight...for the next generation. This is an obligation." #Linbya
These posts give sight into why these people are risking their lives to achieve some kind of peace in their country. The people of Libya care about their country and they are willing to fight in order to protect their ideals. Gaddafi's forces are putting constant pressure on Libyan cities, and it is up to the pride the civilians have to fight off these attacks. Love for one's country is the major reason rebels are resisting military forces.
feb17voicesFeb 17 voices
ReplyDeleteLPC #Misrata: #Gaddafi's threats about Misrata surrender "empty." Didn't cease firing at all. #Libya
2 May
feb17voicesFeb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata Doctor: Shelling continues, suspects it is from heavy artillery. #Gaddafi has said h'e take Misrata within 30 hours. #Libya
2 May
feb17voicesFeb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata: Yesterday, for example, #Gaddafi forces tried to enter by coastal Road. They could not even secure the road. #Libya
These comments belie the dastardly tactics, discoordination, and incompetence shown by Gaddafi's forces. In times of civil war, frontlines often appear much more pocketed and less cohesive. As a result, logistics become much less "neat" of an affair, and simple orders may not even reach their intended destination. This goes to underscore the sheer unpredictability within the region at the current time. What I personally wonder about is how John manages reports that may offer conflicting observations.
LPC #Misrata: Yesterday, for example, #Gaddafi forces tried to enter by coastal Road. They could not even secure the road. #Libya.
ReplyDeleteThis tweet shows that the reliability of the event by stating the day. The word “yesterday” indicates a series of events. I think tweet is very useful for updating news around us. It connects people around the world.
LPC #Misrata: "There is No glory, no honor without cost, and without sacrifice. Every day we lose a good man." #Libya
I think tweet is a good way to express personal feelings. It is sad to see men sacrificing themselves for glory and honor.
AJA: 17 killed and 39 injured in #Misrata, injuries include children, women. #Libya
This tweet shows the casualty rate, which also include children and women. It shows us that the fight is very violent.
LPC #Misrata: "more than 60 " rockets impacted near the harbor today. Residential areas continued to be exposed to heavy shelling. #Libya
It shows the intensity of the fight. The damage to the residents is severe.
Although each tweet is very short, it shows what is actually happening. Its incise information is good enough to inform people around the world.
The article showed how effective the cameras were in documenting the activity that was taking place on the ground. Visual aid is a good use of evidence. The reports under the photos explained what was going on at that time.
ReplyDelete"feb17voices Feb 17 voices
LPC #Misrata: We fight to re-write our [recent] history, to show the world Libyans are not just subjects of #Gaddafi. #Libya" I found this tweet significant because it gives insight to why they are participating in these actions.
"Audioboo: LPC #Jadu: #Gaddafi forces attacked #Nalut & #Wazin in attempt to control border w/Tunisia. #Libya http://boo.fm/b345797" This is an example of current updates to let us know what is going on there so that the correct form of action can be taken. The audio is also a good attribute.
These tweets are significant because they show the reality behind what is happening and by doing this they are allowing for their voices to be heard as well as have people put forth effort to help.
Audioboo: LPC #Jadou: [ENGLISH] severe shortages of food, medicine, water, especially baby food #libya http://boo.fm/b341259
ReplyDeleteThere are countless amounts of tweets like the one above, detailing the bombing, killing, and military oppression going on in Libya, but despite the hardships I find the evidence for those small acts of defiance inspiring, like this one:
LPC #Tripoli: Pigeons flying overhead w/rebel flags "an exciting scene." #Gaddafi forces didn't like it, started shooting them down. #Libya
and the professions of pride and hope even more so:
LPC #Misrata: We fight to re-write our [recent] history, to show the world Libyans are not just subjects of #Gaddafi. #Libya
LPC #Misrata: "For a long time we'd forgotten we were Libyans.. Now our grandparents [who fought for freedom] can sleep in peace " #Libya
LPC #Misrata: "We continue to fight...for the next generation. This is an obligation." #Linbya
I find these tweets significant in documenting this history because they go beyond the hard and dry numbers and facts and (I feel) display the sentiment of the people who are living through this nightmare. I know feelings of hope can be hard to come by in such difficult situations though a question I have for John is was there ever any times that he felt compelled to offer words of comfort to one of his contacts? Did the knowledge that their story was getting story out ever offer any comfort to them?
Audioboo: LPC #Jadu: [ENG] Gaddafi made a big mistake by intruding on Tunisian territory #libya http://boo.fm/b345054
ReplyDeleteLPC #Jadu: #Gaddafi forces attacked from the east and south of #Zintan, firing Grad missiles into residential areas. #Libya #Feb17
Audioboo: LPC #Jadou: [ENGLISH] 16 of Gaddafi's forces were captured & wounded were taken to hospital #libya #feb17 http://boo.fm/b341240
LPC #MIsrata: [furious caller] "5 and a half damn hours [of heavy attack] without any intervention from NATO!" #Libya
Much of the tweets on feb17voices err on the side of factual: bombings, numbers, stats and conditions. Some though, relate to expressions of emotion or present more subjective information like thoughts, concerns and frustrations.
To what extent are the publishers for feb17voices wary of tweeting more opinionated calls? What considerations are taken when posting tweets that can't be "verified" factually because of their nature as opinion? For example, are there considerations of how representative this one call may be of the entire county? Of the rebel forces? Or a particular demographic?