Thin Lei Win - Social media, beneficiary communications and humanitarian reporting - Manila 14 Oct...

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Social Media,Beneficiary Communications &

Humanitarian Reporting13-14 October, 2011, Manila

Thin Lei Win, Correspondent,Reuters AlertNet

Thomson Reuters Foundation



Social Media, Beneficiary Communications &Humanitarian Reporting

• Social media: a way of interacting between organisations,communities and individuals using mobile, web-based technologies

• Beneficiary communications: engaging with affected communities(beneficiaries) through information, based on the belief that

information is a vital form of aid in itself• “People need information as much as water, food, medicine or

shelter.... Information can save lives.”

• Humanitarian reporting: area of journalism specialising onhumanitarian issues, whether or not it is at a time of disaster or conflict

• Three events that occurred last year as examples: Haiti Quake,Bangkok Protests and Myanmar Elections



HAITI QUAKE - JANUARY 2010 EMERGENCYINFORMATION SERVICE

Beneficiary communications in an emergency, post-disaster settingSocial media used for promoting the service, not for reporting



Haiti Quake

• Biggest tremor in 200 years

- 7.0 magnitude, more than316,000 killed, 1.5 millionhomeless

- Damages and losses between$8 and $14 billion

- Still rubble-strewn a year later

- TRF set up EIS within days ofthe quake & sent messages inCreole using 4636 short code; a

collaborative effort betweenmany players incl. Ushahidi

- Provided messages rangingfrom how to register missingloved ones with ICRC to publichealth advice to food & petrol

prices



Haiti Quake - the messages we were getting



BANGKOK PROTESTS - MAY 2010LIVE BLOGGING

Beneficiary communications in time of civil conflictSocial media used for reporting & monitoring news, interaction, promotion



Bangkok Protests

• In two months of fighting:-

- 91 killed, at least 1,800wounded, including two

journalists

- Parts of centre of Bangkoklocked down

- A difficult time for journalistsboth local and foreign, asmedia companies came underattack from both sides



Bangkok Protests

• Live blog:-

- http://live.reuters.com/Event/Bangkok_protests?Page=0

- Started on May 15 & coveredReuters & other neworganisations’ outputs

- Relied on Twitter, Facebook,text messages & eyewitnessaccounts from Reuters reporters

- Twitter especially came into its

own during this time as one ofthe few forums for real-time, on-the-ground updates and a placewhere everyone to speak theirminds

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Bangkok_protests?Page=0






MYANMAR ELECTIONS - NOVEMBER 2010REMOTE LIVE BLOGGING

Humanitarian reporting of a momentous event, followed by conflictSocial media used for reporting & monitoring news, interaction, promotion



Myanmar Elections

• First elections held in morethan 20 years

- November 7, 2010

- Divided the opposition into twogroups: those for and againstthe elections, igniting heateddebate and civil society actionto canvass votes in a way thathad not been seen before

- Aung San Suu Kyi still under

house arrest and NLD did notparticipate in the elections



Myanmar Elections

• Live blog:-

- http://live.reuters.com/Event/Myanmar_elections?Page=0

- Started on November 6, 2010

- Relied on Twitter, Facebook,Myanmar Television (MRTV),exiled media outlet websitesand eyewitness accounts fromReuters reporters

- A very difficult event to cover

remotely but could not be doneany other way

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Myanmar_elections?Page=0






Then fighting started the next day - Nov 8 - near the border town ofMyawaddy.



• Reporting moved from elections tofighting, which pushed tens ofthousands of people to cross theborder into Thailand.

• Fighting was between a rebel

faction of a ceasefire group andthe army.

• Limitation - when vulnerablepeople have little or no access tocommunications, official newsfrom country of origin is unreliable

and host government imposesrestrictions on their movement andaccess by third parties, they arenot plugged in to get informationthat could help them.

Myanmar Elections



Social Media,Beneficiary Communications &

Humanitarian Reporting13-14 October, 2011, Manila

Thin Lei Win, Correspondent,

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Thin Lei Win - Social media, beneficiary communications and humanitarian reporting - Manila 14 Oct...

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