Iran & Twitter 101: Rereading A Tale of Two Twitterers

This morning Josh Shahryar has written an eloquent response to an insulting, ill-informed article by Will Heaven demeaning both the events inside Iran since June and the role of social media in putting out news about those events.

Josh, I think, has expressed my own reaction well. I wanted to add, however, this EA post --- originally pushed on 27 June. I do so in response to Mr Heaven's assertion, "This [revolution] didn’t face tear-gas or gunfire. And its participants didn’t risk prison, torture or death. It took place on 2009’s most trendy website: Twitter.com."

The original posts and update are reprinted without change.



Nothing has been heard from "persiankiwi" since 24 June and "Change_For_Iran" since 28 June.

UPDATE 29 June: see our new post, "Iran: More on 'Two Twitterers' (and on the idiocy of 'The Times)"

UPDATE 28 June 2100 GMT: "Change_for_Iran" is back. He/she resumed communication an hour ago, after a three-day break: "Reza released from Hospital yesterday he is banned from university and now is a starred [marked by government] student. He spent his first 48h of arrest at level -4 of ministry of interior building without food or water." The connection is poor, however, so reports may not be sustained.

UPDATE 28 June 0615 GMT: No further news overnight, I'm afraid. We are monitoring closely.

UPDATE 27 June, 2230 GMT: Reports coming in via Twitter that "persiankiwi" has been arrested.

UPDATE 27 June, 1230 GMT: I am sorry to write that "persiankiwi" has not returned to Twitter since we posted this. After his/her brief revival after the beating by the Basiji, "Change_For_Iran" has not written in two days. A campaign has started to recognise "persiankiwi" through a "CNN Heroes" award.

---

Originally I was going to post this as an item in our Rolling Updates but, on reflection, I think it deserves more attention.

As events unfolded after the election in Iran, we had to make judgement calls not only on information coming out through "established" media but via newer sources such as the reports on Twitter. There was a lot of chaff out there, but there was also a lot of wheat. To put the point bluntly, in the early days of the crisis, the best sources on Twitter were complementing material from print journalists and broadcasters such as CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and Press TV; in recent days, as those reporters and outlets have been blinded (except for Press TV, which serves its role as spokesperson for the Iranian Government), the Twitter sources took the lead in information or indications on events.

One of those sources is "persiankiwi". He/she, passionately caught up (and possibly participating) in events, is far from neutral, but the information was valuable and much of it stood up under cross-checking.

However, as Aric Mayer writes in a blog today, the events at Baharestan Square yesterday, though far from clear, seem to have pushed persiankiwi beyond the bearable limits of trauma. A series of anguished notes began with "Just in from Baharestan Sq - situation today is terrible - they beat the ppls like animals" and ended with "thank you ppls 4 supporting Sea of Green - pls remember always our martyrs - Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar....Allah - you are the creator of all and all must return to you - Allah Akbar".

Then there is the story of "Change_For_Iran". Another key pointer to developments, he/she suddenly dropped off the Twitter map early on 21 June. Today, he/she resurfaced:

I'm only posting this to say I'm still alive & not in Tehran, I had a bad incident with Basij and couldn't use computer....Shayan's brother's fate is still unknown, Reza has been released yesterday & at hospital right now & I think Masood is safe....As soon I can walk properly again, I will go back to Tehran....I will twitt again at night, my back & neck hurts a lot & I can't sit here anymore....And to everyone out there specially IRG [Revolutionary Guard]: no it's not the end & it will never be until we get what is rightfully ours.

In part, I'm posting this as a rebuke to all those who have passed snap judgements about Twitter in recent days. The information technology is just the medium here. What matters are the messengers.

And right now I am grateful for those who, under conditions much more strenuous than the safety of a keyboard in central Britain, have persisted in recent days, not from professional duty or self-promotion, but because they believed that it was the right and necessary thing to do.

Comments

[zee]

In a similar vein, is there any news of Sp4rrowh4wk?

[Omir55]

Thank you. I think of persiankiwi often and hope s/he returns safely to us someday.

[NightOwl]

Zee,

Sp4rrowH4wk is well. :) He's just very busy these days.

[Tori]

Thank you for the reminder. I know from speaking with virtual friends, that we have all been thinking of Persiankiwi over the past few weeks. A new year does that kind of thing to you. I hope that if s/he is reading this post, Persiankiwi will accept our warm wishes.

[Bijan]

Thank you for the repost Scott and thanks to both you and Josh taking a public stand against the rants and raves of this Mr Heaven. I like many others followed persiankiwi and change for iran not only weekly, daily or hourly, but minute by minute. Scott your notes above are just a firm reminder to us all the reality of the situation. I, like many others, felt a personally connection to both of the people and the many others sharing information via twitter. To me, your post also serves as a reminder that they all continue to need our thougths and prayers.

[Jeff Barea]

I will rage for years and take down every fucking dictatorship in the process until persiankiwi is safe...NO MANNER OF MONEY CAN KEEP THE RAGE I WILL UNLEASH IN CHECK!!!!!

[Jeff Barea]

Yeah, about that. Visceral reaction and all.