Global Voices » Natalie Southwick

Twitter Turns Mexicans Into ‘War Correspondents’

Natalie Southwick — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:08:39 +0000

Reporting about drug-related crime in Mexico can be fatal. Journalists and citizens are threatened and even killed for reporting on the violence that has overtaken the country. In spite of the danger, many Mexicans are using civic media to inform the public about shootings, harassment, murders and arrests, filling the informative space that the country's mainstream media has abandoned.

Sara Plaza Écija summarized the findings of a new study of the role of citizen journalists as “new war correspondents” in Mexico in the website Periodismo Ciudadano [es] (Citizen Journalism). We're sharing Sara's article here, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0).

Image base | Power_Surf under Creative Commons License (CC-BY-3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

An American study that aimed to analyze digital innovation found that Mexican Twitter users have become a reliable source of information about topics related to the country's drug trade, taking on the role of traditional mainstream media.

According to the document “The New War Correspondents: The Rise of Civic Media Curation in Urban Warfare,” Twitter users in cities like Reynosa, Monterey, Veracruz or Saltillo are in charge of informing the public about arrests, shootings and confrontations caused by the Mexican drug trade, thus taking on the informative characteristics and role of traditional forms of media and communication. This information has become increasingly influential for Mexican citizens as the nation's major media outlets continue to lose credibility.

The study, supervised by Microsoft Research, examines the means of information exchange between people living in the cities most affected by the war on drugs in Mexico. It describes the frequency with which citizens use social media to warn others about violence in their communities. The study also investigates the rise of civic media “curators”, or citizens acting as “war correspondents” in terms of spreading information. “This is a group of people, who we refer to as ‘curators’, who have a large number of followers on social media networks, which means they've gained the trust of their communities,” said Andrés Monroy-Hernández, one of the researchers.

The study has focused on the four cities most affected by drug violence: Reynosa, Monterey, Veracruz and Saltillo. The researchers looked for common traits among tweets, hashtags and the Twitter users who were sharing this information. The majority of tweets referred to a location, one of the cities and the word “shooting.” The tweets acted as a “public service announcement” that warned citizens to stay clear of certain neighborhoods. The “curators” are defined by a large number of tweets and followers. They are people who find and share information. “The study shows that 61% of Mexicans use social media, but only 20% use Twitter. About 4.2 % of the online population in Mexico has written something against drugs or the drug trade on Twitter,” added Monroy- Hernández.

Violence in Mexico has increased as a result of the war on drugs, and the media has become one of its targets, which has caused some of the country's media outlets to become much more cautious about reporting on these topics. Because of this, the “curators” have become necessary sources of information. The researchers tried to interview some of these new “war correspondents,” but many of them have remained anonymous in order to avoid the risks faced by traditional journalists.

Coffee Growers’ Strike: The Crisis Behind Colombian Coffee

Natalie Southwick — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:36:29 +0000

A group of Colombian coffee producers have been on strike since February 25th because of the low costs of the coffee bean, an issue that has generated systemic poverty among its producers.

The association has been in a state of crisis for more than a year, “motivated by low bean prices, the reevaluation of the Colombian peso against the dollar as well as the decrease in exports, the high prices of fertilizer and insecticides, the low harvests due to heavy rains and the plague of mildew [affecting coffee beans]“, according to a report in Colombian newspaper El Espectador [es]

The coffee farmers claim that the government has not provided any guarantees to protect them from the situation, and despite an agreement [es]between the government and the National Federation of Coffee Producers, many farmers continue blocking the country's roads, arguing that they do not feel represented by the leaders of the organization.

A huge number of images in support of the coffee growers’ strike have circulated on Facebook, such as this one from the Universidad Pública de Colombia's [es] page, in which they refer to the farmers as heroes:

“Heroes in Colombia do exist!”. Image shared on Facebook by the Universidad Pública de Colombia.

The following image, posted by El Rebelde Medios informativos [es], alludes to the harvest:

“I support the coffee growers’ strike”. Image shared on Facebook by El Rebelde Medios Informativos.

Weimar Ospina Muñoz [es] shared one of the images that has circulated widely on social networks, denouncing aggression by state security forces against the farmers.

A coffee grower injured in a confrontation with police. Photo shared by Weimar Ospina Muñoz and other Facebook users.

Weimar said:

Un país donde la fuerza publica no tiene respeto por nadie. Acaso creen que lo que se sientan a almorzar lo producen la oligarquía o el gobierno???… No … lo producen sus víctimas el campesino que horror.

A country where the state forces don't respect anyone. Do they really think what they have for lunch is produced by the oligarchy or the government???… No… it's produced by the farmers, their victims, how awful.

Like Facebook, Twitter has also become a platform to express opinions about the coffee farmers’ strike through the hashtags #Parocafetero [coffee farmers' strike], #Colombiadicecafeterostienenrazon [Colombia says the coffee farmers are right] and #yoapoyoelparocafetero [I support the coffee farmers' strike].

Derly Franco (@franco_derly) [es], referring to the peace process currently taking place between the government and the FARC guerrilla group, said:

@franco_derly: Lastimosamente Tenemos Un Presidente Que Prefiere Hablar Con Asesinos, Que Con Campesinos..! #YoApoyoElParoCafetero

@franco_derly: Unfortunately we have a president who would rather talk to murderers than farmers..! #YoApoyoElParoCafetero

Teto (@johnceta) [es] agreed:

@johnceta: Los terroristas piden indultos y pensiones vitalicias! Nuestros campesinos sólo piden que les paguen lo que trabajan #yoapoyoelparocafetero

@johnceta: The terrorists ask for pardons and life pensions! Our farmers only ask to be paid for their work #yoapoyoelparocafetero

While Nury Rivera (@Nury_Rivera) [es] said:

@Nury_Rivera: Si nosotros mismos no apoyamos las causas de justicia en nuestro país entonces quien #YoApoyoElParoCafetero

@Nury_Rivera: If we don't support the cause of justice in our country then who will #YoApoyoElParoCafetero

And Leszly Kálli (@leszlykalli) [es] shared a video that has circulated across social networks showing a farmer who becomes emotional while explaining the situation:

@leszlykalli: Inevitable el sabor amargo del café con el sufrimiento de nuestros campesinos caficultores #ParoCafetero http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ2XVZw0CLU …

@leszlykalli: Coffee inevitably tastes bitter with the suffering of our coffee farmers #ParoCafetero http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ2XVZw0CLU…

At the time of publication, the coffee farmers had announced [es] that they would march to the capital of Bogotá on Tuesday, March 12, if the government could not offer a solution before then.

Marco Rubio's Bitter Drink at the State of the Union Address

Natalie Southwick — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:41:28 +0000

Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American Republican senator from Florida, was the first senator to speak to the country both in English and Spanish in his televised rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address this past Tuesday, February 12. But his dry mouth played a trick on him, as his taking a sip of water, on-air in the middle of his speech, unleashed a wave of commentary on social media networks.

Rubio had made news in the previous few days thanks to his appearance on the cover of Time magazine, which described him as “savior” of his party. That same party entrusted him with the task of responding to the president following his address, but just 10 minutes after beginning his speech, as he began to approach the topic of foreign policy, he ducked down in order to drink from a bottle of water, without taking his eyes off the camera. For this simple act, Rubio has been the target of jokes across social media networks, such as in this video, entitled “Pásame la Botella” [Pass Me the Bottle]:

Speaking to ABC, Rubio said that it was just a moment when he was thirsty, like any human might be. However, some think that the incident with the water bottle demonstrated Rubio's nerves and ineffectiveness at speaking about the politics separating Republicans and Democrats, since he relied heavily on trite phrases to explain the fiscal deficit and problems arising from “big government.”

These same observations were shared on Twitter by people like Andrés Oppenheimer:

The exact moment when Sen. Marco Rubio took a drink from the bottle without taking his eyes off the camera. Taken from a YouTube video.

@oppenheimera: No le fue muy bien a Marco Rubio esta noche. Parecia [sic] nervioso, y su salida de pantalla para buscar una botella de agua no quedo muy bien.

@oppenheimera: It didn't go well for Marco Rubio that night. He seemed nervous, and exiting the screen to look for a bottle of water didn't look good.

Others like Pedro Navarro (@pedronavarrol) think that the whole “water bottle” issue has been blown out of proportion:

@pedronavarrol: Todo por un poco de agua… Vía @ABC: Marco Rubio's ‘Watershed’ Means He is Ready (Or Not) for Spotlight http://abcn.ws/X52RXD ” [Marco Rubio y su Incidente del Agua Significa que Está Listo (O No) en el Foco de la Atención]

@pedronavarrol: All for a little water… Vía @ABC: Marco Rubio's ‘Watershed’ Means He is Ready (Or Not) for Spotlight http://abcn.ws/X52RXD “

Jaime Villasana D. (@jvillasanad), despite praising Rubio's speech, also agreed that his exiting the screen to take a sip of water was a bit bizarre:

@jvillasand: Buen discurso del Sen. Republicano Marco Rubio respondiendo a #Obama, pero un detalle; toma botella de agua en pleno discurso. Algo muy raro

@jvillasand: Good speech from Republican Senator Marco Rubio responding to #Obama, but one small detail: drinking from a water bottle mid-speech. Very strange

Eduardo Fernández (@Eduardo18255638) offered his support to Rubio:

@Eduardo18255638: @marcorubio Hola Marco Rubio soy cubano-tico y creo que la botella de agua para los envidiosos te dió mas popularidad y simpatía sincera.

@Eduardo18255638: @marcorubio Hi Marco Rubio I'm Cuban-Costa Rican and I think the bottle of water for the envious gave you more popularity and sincere sympathy.

Finally, Mónica Pérez (@mpdelasheras) retweeted the photo that Senator Rubio took of the bottle and later posted to his Twitter account @marcorubio:

@mpdelasheras: “@marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot pic.twitter.com/rtwJ1nG0” La famosa botella de agua

@mpdelasheras: “@marcorubio: #GOPResponse #SOTU #gop #tcot pic.twitter.com/rtwJ1nG0” The famous water bottle

Mirelis Morales’ ‘City of Fury': A positive view of Caracas

Natalie Southwick — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:55:09 +0000

The blogger, tweep and journalist Mirelis Morales Tovar is a “genuine caraqueña.” She was born in the Venezuelan capital and says that “although the traffic and safety problems are almost always overwhelming,” she can't imagine living anywhere else.

Mirelis runs the blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia (Caracas City of Fury) [es], where she invites readers to describe the positive side of Caracas: experiences, places, images, flavors and sounds missed by many people who haven't taken the opportunity to get to know their city.

On her blog Mirelis describes herself [es] as a “citizen on foot, on a moto, on a bus, on the Metro and in a car.” In an interview with Global Voices, Mirelis told us:

I love the view of El Avila [a national park in Caracas] and this exceptional climate. Besides, I owe everything to this city and to my country. My family, my friends, my loves, my work, my relations… everything I am. For this, I should repay it somehow.

Mirelis took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her blog.

GV: How, when and why did Caracas Ciudad de Furia begin?

Mirelis Morales T.: Originally the blog began in September of 2009 to archive the pieces I had published in the Caracas section of the Diario El Universal [a Caracas newspaper]. But when I stopped working at the newspaper, the blog became my means to continue practicing my profession. I decided to focus on the theme of the city because it's what I had been doing and because very few people speak about Caracas from a positive angle.

So I dedicated myself to write about the city from a more constructive perspective, which would help show us its potential and to reflect on what we as citizens can do to make it more livable or less hostile.

Mirelis Morales Tovar in Caracas. Photo: Carlos Armas.

GV: Why did you call it “Ciudad de la Furia”?

MMT: I got the sentiment from the music of [Gustavo] Cerati. And I believe there is no better phrase to describe Caracas than City of Fury. Caracas is just that: it's furious, rebellious, chaotic, unpredictable. It's a city of contrasts and contradictions. But in spite of everything, it refuses to die.

GV: Various blogs [es] focus on Caracas. What makes yours different? What do you hope to achieve with this blog?

MMT: I'm trying to show an image of Caracas beyond that of chaos, traffic and danger. Why? Because I'm convinced that Caracas is more than that. Those of us who live in the city have faith that it is. When you're capable of defying prejudices a little and you begin to walk through the city, to get to know it, to discover its curiosities, you begin to reconcile with it, to see it from another perspective. And the city will also calm down and begin to show you the best of itself.

The only way to generate a sense of belonging and identification with your city is to know it. And I believe that this is a big problem for caraqueños [people from Caracas], that they don't know their own city. Fear keeps them locked up. Because of this, I do my best to invite readers to go out, to offer them alternatives, to tell them my experience in this or that place, so that they venture out and live Caracas.

Many of the blog's readers have accepted this invitation and have shared their own experiences in Caracas by participating in Ciudad Positiva (Positive City) [es], a photo competition that Mirelis has organized since 2010. On November 4, 2010, Mirelis wrote:

Our proposed challenge was to focus our gaze –if only for a minute- on a friendly side of the city. On that thing -natural or constructed- that characterizes us as the capital city or that differentiates Caracas from all other cities in the world.

Photos from the 2010 and 2011 editions can be found on Flickr.

GV: Tell us a little more about the photo contest Ciudad Positiva.

MMT: In addition to being a blogger I also tweet. While on Twitter, I noticed that people love to post photos of Caracas and I thought that maybe I could use the blog to promote a contest to choose the best photos and to disseminate them in another format. This is how I came up with the idea of creating notebooks of Caracas with the winning images. Why notebooks? Because it seemed to me that they would be a good way to carry the best of the city with you or to exchange it with others.

The contest has had three editions. And each year we have a different theme. The first year, we showed what characterizes Caracas; the second, its people; and the third, its colors. Every edition we have added more allies who believe in a positive city and we hope to have an open-air exhibition to share our vision of the city.

GV: What's in store for Caracas Ciudad de la Furia in 2013?

MMT: I would love to be able to change the blog's image. I've already begun to move to WordPress. I would like to create a logo. Essentially, to make it more professional. I want to include information that will be useful for people visiting Caracas, since the city lacks maps or guides. Thanks to the blog I've been in contact with people from Argentina, Spain, Costa Rica and Chile who have written to me asking for recommendations about the city. With that in mind, I would like to make the blog a little more formal and offer more alternatives.

GV: Do you have any advice for bloggers writing about cities?

MMT: To keep their eyes open. A city is a living being that always has something to offer. To look without prejudice. To be open to trying new things. I believe that every city has good things to offer. And it is good to be critical, but always with a constructive vision. To be a blogger is also to be a public servant.

Mirelis has received various acknowledgements for her blog. In 2010, she received the Premio Arturo Uslar Pietri del Colegio Nacional de Periodistas [Arturo Uslar Pietri Prize from the National School of Journalists] for “best web site” [es], and the “Caracas through a journalist's eyes” -mention in online category- award granted by the Caracas Chamber of Commerce. This year, the mayor of Baruta gave her a “Citizen Values” [es] award for promoting civic coexistence.

Follow Mirelis and her blog on Twitter (@mi_mo_to).

Thousands March Against Repression in Costa Rica

Natalie Southwick — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:43:57 +0000

This past Thursday, November 15, 2012, thousands of citizens participated in a march [es] organized in response to the confrontations which occurred during the November 8 demonstration [es].

In addition to renewing their protest in defense of the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (the Costa Rican Social Security Organization), the protesters added other causes to the event, including the non-criminalization of social protest, rejection of political repression, and their objection to the Cybercrime Law (a recent legal reform that opponents contest has severely restricted online freedom and freedom of speech within the country).

At 9 a.m., a group of protesters left from the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro and another group departed from the Parque La Merced in San José. The groups met in front of the Costa Rican Social Security building, where they submitted a document with petitions for the organization's leaders.

Protest November 15, 2012. Photo: Guillermo Barquero, used with permission.

In the days before the march, various people expressed their opinion about the diverse motivations that arise from participation in public demonstrations, with the goal of promoting cohesion and solidarity with the movement. This was the case with Cristian Cambronero, who wrote on his blog Fusil de Chispas [es]:

Asumir que quien critica, o quien manifiesta inconformidades, es –así tal cual- un vago, es llanamente una tontería. Irónicamente aquellos, los buenos, los que en lugar de criticar, bretean [Costarriqueñismo para “trabajan"], y en lugar de manifestarse, bretean, también disfrutan día con día de las garantías sociales, de la institucionalidad, de los servicios, y de los derechos de los que gozamos todos los costarricenses, muchos de ellos conquistados a partir de intensas luchas sociales y de profundos movimientos de cambio que un día nacieron en la forma de una idea disidente, o de una crítica fundada al status quo.

To assume that anyone who criticizes, or demonstrates disapproval, is – just like that – lazy, is simply ridiculous. Ironically, those, the good ones, those who instead of criticizing, work, and instead of protesting, work, also enjoy on a daily basis the social guarantees of the institutions, of the services and of the rights that all we Costa Ricans enjoy, many of them won through intense social battles and profound movements of change that were born one day in the form of a dissenting idea, or from a criticism founded against the status quo.

There was also a call for sanity, for order and above all for peace in order to avoid violent situations that could put the safety of the persons involved at risk. Francisco Guerrero published a relevant post on his blog [TXOMA] [es] :

Costa Rica no puede seguir enfrentándose así en las calles. Hoy estamos más unidos que la semana pasada pero aún necesitamos unirnos más. Ese juego se gana en los medios. La marcha del jueves debería ser solo un primer paso de una Costa Rica unida. Demostremos que, como ciudadanos nos manifestamos pacíficamente, demostrémosle al país por qué estamos marchando.

Costa Rica cannot continue confronting itself this way in the streets. Today we are more united than last week but we still must unite more. This game will be won through the media. Thursday's march must be only the first step of a united Costa Rica. We will show that, as citizens, we protest peacefully, showing the country why we are marching.

Protest November 15, 2012. Photo: Simón Avilés, used with permission.

On Twitter, various impressions of the event spread quickly.

Some, like Jota Pe Zeta (@barvak) [es], doubted the honesty of the demonstrators and did not support the march:

@barvak: El “efecto” de las marchas son como los gritos de los niños. Ningún niño hace berrinche en la casa, siempre lo hace en público

@barvak: The “effect” of the marches is like children crying. No child has a tantrum at home, they always do it in public

Andrés Obando (@Ando3119) [es] wrote:

@Ando3119: Luchar por Costa Rica no solo se logra yendo a una marcha!! #OJOALDATO

@Ando3119: One doesn't only fight for Costa Rica by having a march! #OJOALDATO (hashtag translates as “Look at the facts”)

Nor was there a lack of jokes. For example, Javier Rodríguez (@Rolly__) [es], tweeted:

@Rolly__: Soy un despichin [rebelde]…fumo mecha [marihuana]..soy chancletudo [hippie]..voy a las marchas..tengo camisa del Che..y me gusta el “arte” soy totalmente IN

@Rolly__: I'm a rebel… I smoke marijuana..I'm a hippie..I go to marches..I have a Che t-shirt..and I like “art” I'm totally IN

A few also wrote concerned tweets, like this one from @moboza [es]:

@moboza: Ojalá no se metan maleantes que no tengan nada que ver en la #MarchaCR seria una lástima volver a presenciar los mismos disturbios de antes

@moboza: I hope troublemakers don't get involved at all in the #MarchaCR it would be a shame to witnessing the same disturbances as before

According to observers and participants, there were no violent incidents during the march and the event had a festive and dynamic feeling. Some attendees took advantage of the opportunity to report with photos and Twitter commentary.

Raquel Mora (@Raql06) [es] tweeted:

@Raql06: Hoy se demostró que no hay mordaza que atrofie cerebros!! El pueblo se hizo sentir!!!#marchacr #leymordaza

@Raql06: Today we showed that there is no gag that weakens brains!! We made them feel the people!!!#marchacr #leymordaza (“gag law”)

Roberto Sánchez (@BrokenIllusion1) [es] shared a photo:

“‘Las cosas, no se cambian desde tu sillón’ – En la CCSS #1CR #MarchaCR.” (“Things don't change from your chair – At the CCSS #1CR #MarchaCR”) Photo shared on Twitter by @BrokenIllusion1

Alicia Coto Guzmán (@piladetrastos) [es] took a photo of two female police officers who received flowers from a demonstrator:

“Hace un rato en Los Yoses, una chica le dio flores blancas a las policías #1CR” (“A little while ago in Los Yoses, a girl gave white flowers to the police #1CR”) Photo shared on Twitter by @piladetrastos

President Laura Chinchilla (@Laura_Ch) [es] is in Spain and has been significantly criticized for her absence from the country during the protests. She tweeted this about the demonstration:

@Laura_Ch: Manifestantes desfilaron con orden y respeto, policía custodió como es su deber, autoridades de la CCSS escucharon. Así debe ser!! #marchacr

@Laura_Ch: Demonstrations happened with order and respect, police did their duty as guards, authorities of the CCSS [Costa Rican Social Security] listened. As it should be!! #marchacr

The march's organizers planned more demonstrations for Friday, November 16th, Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th in various parts of the country as part of what they have called the “National Day of Action.”

You can follow tweets on the march through the hashtags #1CR [es], #MarchaCR [es] and #ProtestaCR [es].

Dominican Republic: Mobilization Against Teen Pregnancy

Natalie Southwick — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:58:32 +0000

Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Day (this past Wednesday, September 26) hosted various activities that set the scene for a discussion of the issue and its national prevalence. According to the National Health and Demographic Survey (ENDESA) 2007, 20 percent of pregnancies in the Dominican Republic occur among young women between 15 and 19 years old, which places the nation in the Top 5 of Latin American countries with the highest rates of teen pregnancy. Additionally, recent statements from the Ministry of Health and the United Nations confirm that there has been a significant increase in the number of pregnant teenagers during the last few years, a finding that has reinstated the topic among the top priorities of the public agenda.

Many state institutions and international organizations sponsored conferences and talks to confront the issue and encourage inter-institutional alliances to strengthen the National Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy [es] and other initiatives. However, one of the most interesting mobilizations was a march of more than 2,000 youth from different educational centers, who marched two kilometers below the slogan “Adolescente no te embaraces” (“Teen, don't get pregnant”), with the goal of raising awareness of the high incidence of pregnancy among teenagers, as well as to combat HIV, domestic violence and the high national rate of murdered women. It was an effective manifestation of civil and community empowerment that defined the youth as authors of their own change.

A video uploded to YouTube on September 27, 2012, by user Dominicanos Ausentes, captured small snapshots of the march, as well as the opinions of some participants. For example, at 00:28 seconds, one young woman states that Dominican youth are having sex without considering the consequences.

http://youtu.be/xAucOEKmDNc

Some media figures shared important data about teen pregnancy with their social media followers — people such as journalist Altagracia Salazar, who published this on her Twitter account:

@altagraciasa: Mas del 80 por ciento de las adolescentes embarazadas son pobres y abandonan la escuela.

@altagraciasa: More than 80 percent of pregnant teens are poor and have dropped out of school.

This information is supported by statistics that confirm that the provinces with the nation's highest pregnancy rates are Azua (37 %), Pedernales (35 %), Bahoruco (35 %) y Elías Piña (30 %), all of which are located near the border.

Ingrid Gómez, a television host and spokeswoman for the “Por ser Niña” campaign run by Plan, an international organization working on community development focused on children, said that:

@ingridgomezMAB: cuatro barreras las limitan #porserniña Embarazo en adolescentes,la violencia de genero y el acceso desigual a oportunidades @Plan_RD

@ingridgomezMAB: four barriers limit #porserniña Teen pregnancy, gender-based violence and inequal access to opportunities @Plan_RD.

The NGO Profamilia also raised this demand through the same platform:

@profamiliaRD: Profamilia demanda que se implemente Plan Nacional de Prevención de embarazo en adolescentes.

@profamiliaRD: Profamilia demands the implementation of a national plan to prevent teen pregnancy.

In addition, on September 26 the representative Juana Vicente submitted a proposal to the National Congress petitioning to declare that day the National Day of Teenage Pregnancy Prevention.

*Photo taken from the UNFPA Twitter account.