Egypt in the News: Reporters and/or Pundits?

(If you don’t have time to read all of this, scroll to the end for information about a very special interview. I think students will like it.)

The Egyptian uprising, revolt (dare we say revolution?) is generating a load of information for us--across a range of media--and a lode of primary sources for future historians. On the web sites of old-style print and broadcast media, we find much more than what’s in the newspaper or on TV. There are blogs, lists of Twitter messages, live and raw video footage, and links to other sites. Visiting these sites is rewarding (if a bit overwhelming). Triage, anyone?

At this point, since the Egyptian dust is still swirling, I would rather spend more time with reporters reporting from Egypt and less with pundits declaiming from armchairs. We should be observing-–even if we do so vicariously--by viewing, reading, and listening to first-hand accounts. Later we can bring this knowledge to the task of evaluating what pundits are saying.

Certainly, pundits do add something to the mix--especially if they have traveled in the Mideast, studied its history, and closely followed events there for a number of years. Yet American pundits are often constricted by US-centric perspectives, too focused on our interests and how events abroad are affecting domestic politics. There is too much "what’s in it for us?" and "will the price of oil go up?" Of course, these are legitimate concerns but I prefer–and I think students need–a much wider lens.

Last week reporters in Egypt risked harassment and beatings from pro-Mubarak supporters, confiscation of computers and footage, even arrest by the security police–all this to produce riveting accounts. They were Egyptians and foreigners, professionals and "citizen journalists." In fact, the blogs and Tweets of ordinary people, mostly young people, contributed a great deal to the work of the professionals, who acknowledged their role.

Previously (Feb 2) I discussed the BBC and Al Jazeera English web sites and both are worth revisiting. Today, however, I want to highlight what’s on the New York Times site: http://www.nytimes.com/   DISCLOSURE: Every day I receive a hard copy NYT before breakfast and scan it before turning on the computer. Let me confess, I’m addicted to the NYT.
　
New York Times Online  
Jump right in by going to Times Topics or The Lede (http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/).  I like The Lede because its format preserves a sense of dynamics of the uprising, an understanding of the process.

Times Topics: Here you can find pages aggregating "all the news, reference and archival information, photos, graphics, audio and video files" on a person, place, topic. Items go back as far as 1981.
URL: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/index.html

• For the current uprising the topic tag is "Egypt News--The Protests" and you can access it from the main TT page.
• At the top: explore "Interactive Timeline: Mubarak’s Presidency"; it begins with Anwar el-Sadat’s assassination in 1981 and includes historical photographs (you can print but not save them).
• Left side: a day-by-day summary of NYT coverage–just click on the links; scroll down for chronological list of NYT articles.
• Right side: access The Lede but also check out "Headlines Around the Globe."
• Right side: scroll for slideshows, recent video, "Unrest in the Arab World" (links to recommended reading).
• "What Can the Protests in Egypt Achieve?" (lower left) takes you to seven commentators--mostly from the Egyptian/Arab world; informative but events have moved so check posting dates; sample comments and, if registered/signed in, post a comment.
• Return to the TT page to browse related topics (Hosni Mubarak, Mohammed ElBaradei, Omar Suleiman, Muslim Brotherhood Egypt)

The Lede: This news blog offers the latest updates. Access it from TT: "Egypt News–The Protests" or from the NYT Home page (click All Blogs).

• Click title to access a posting in reverse order (i.e. beginning with the with most recent entries); scroll down for the titles of previous updates.
• Each update includes text, photos, and videos–making this a convenient way to view these in context; links to external sources; photos can be saved for use in PowerPoints; sample comments at end of update
• After scanning the latest date, click back to access others (going back to January 28th).
• What’s fantastic about The Lede is its collection of videos various sources: including BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, Britain’s Channel 4, Newsweek, YouTube video posted by bloggers.
• Left side: see "Egypt News on Twitter."
• Right side: check out info about the blog’s editor Robert Mackey.
• Blogroll (lower right): a treasure chest of media sites, blogs, and news agencies from around the world

Before leaving The Lede, view this video: Robert Mackey’s "Interview With an Egyptian Blogger" (posted January 27, 2011, 6:59 pm). Gigi Ibrahim, a 22-year-old activist, is a graduate of the American University in Cairo. She is articulate and speaks with virtually no accent. For a number of years she lived with her family in California. She has been forwarding news about the protests using Twitter. This interview was conducted via Skype.

How to find the Gigi Ibrahim interview:

1. Go to the bottom of The Lede and click on Archive–then access January’s blogs–then scroll down to January 27^th.
2. Search "gigi ibrahim" on The Lede–then scroll down to January 27^th. Results include other updates with contributions by or about Ms. Ibrahim.
3. Paste in the URL into your browser: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/interview-with-an-egyptian-blogger/?scp=1&sq=gigi%20ibrahim&st=cse 
4. Very easy: use "Search All NYTimes.com" on Home page or Today’s Paper page. Results include both the interview and comments.