1. Iran Election
Social media and democracy

2. June 12: The election
• Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad runs against
three challengers, including Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
• On June 13, the state-run news agency
announces Ahmadinejad has won the election with
63% of the vote; Mousavi had 33%.
• Doubts about the vote were raised immediately
across the globe.
• Mousavi, whose supporters include many young
people, pledges he won't give up.

3. #iranelection on Twitter: June 12

4. Flickr: Voting photos

5. Flickr: Documenting the voting process

6. June 13 and 14: Protests begin

7. Weekend new coverage: #cnnfail
s
Twitter users called for CNN to cover the Iran election and
ensuing protests.
Hashtag use continues:
di31815 #CNNFail: Is there a systemic problem? Why can't
CNN keep up with world events? How can viewers help CNN
into the 21st century?
spencersoloway #CNNfail Honduras burns while the world's
leaders throw their support behind a thug but CNN says "hey,
didjya' hear Michael Jackson died?!"

8. From Twitter to Flickr (a photoset)

9. YouTube: Protest videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__1vJ0d0Q8Q

10. June 15-18: A week of turmoil
• Mousavi makes first public appearance
• Guardian Council begins partial recount
• Protests worldwide
• Green spreads as protest color
• State Dept. requests Twitter move downtime
• Facebook releases Farsi translation

11. June 19-21: Violence escalates

12. YouTube: Protest video and a poem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KFubPVok7A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUZuv6_bus

13. Neda Soltani

14. Afterward
• Results of recount were June 29; Ahmadinejad
declared the winner, despite Mousavi's claim that
14 million ballots were not counted
• Protests continue, along with call for new vote
• "If you plan to fight Iran and destabilize it, you have
to know that instability in Iran would lead to flux in
the entire region and world" -Iranian vice president,
quoted in state-run news agency

15. Mashable's takeaways
Social media has been playing 3 very important
roles:
1. It has helped Iranians communicate with each
other.
2. It has helped Iranians communicate with the
outside world.
3. It has helped the rest of the world communicate
with both Iranians and others who sympathize with
the protesters.

16. Mary's takeaways
• Social media, with emphasis on mobile and real
time, is a tool of democracy
• Increased/sustained interest in world news
• News sites must pay attention to talk surrounding
their organizations and play offense
• Once you're in social media, you can't ignore it
• You need a different filter with state-run news
agencies

17. Shameless plug
Facebook.com / search "The Baltimore Sun"
twitter.com/baltimoresun
twitter.com/maryvale
mary.hartney@baltsun.com