Journalism during the Arab Spring: Interactions and Challenges

To say that protests occur ‘on the street’ obscures the complexity of the act. While the importance of those people who brave sanction by participating in public demonstrations on the street cannot be diminished, the protest action does not begin and end there. At its heart, a protest is a communicative action; it communicates the protestors’ will in the most vibrant, dynamic and overt way possible. A protest is meant to be seen, heard and witnessed, but most importantly, the message of the protest is meant to be disseminated to others. Thus, those who bear witness to the protest continue the protestors’ communicative action. In between all of these functions are very complex relationships between various actors, including activists and journalists, to begin and, more importantly, to continue a protest’s communicative action.

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