Social media has now taken a step in the right direction to become a more credible and informative tool.
Sadly this step is at the cost of people's lives and freedom.
In the last week the whole world has seen the few glimpses being spread about the riots in Iran over the recent disputed election process.
As a journalist I hold a strong belief in the ability to share knowledge with the public. Most often the knowledge, or truth, is divulged only because a person works with a respected publication of some sort.
It's sad to say that now the roles have reversed in this incident and any ties with a publication will now grant a person an answer of "no comment" to any burning question they may have.
The Iranian government is being incredibly tight-lipped about the situation, not to mention the inability of journalists to infiltrate the region, and the truth has not been made available.
But through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, cell phone photos and videos bystanders are taking and recording can now be available to take the place of AP photos.
The greatest thing about these advances in technology is the immediacy that accompanies the uploaded pics and videos. Most of the news values we are learning as aspiring journalists at Auburn University are being covered: Timeliness, relevance, impact, prominence and conflict.
Thanks to these bystanders the world is being updated on the true horror Iran is going through, simply over the right to a just election. I daresay most journalists wouldn't risk their lives to upload a photo like these people are.
The next time you upload an emo picture of yourself think about the risk these people are under for exposing the truth.
For those who condem social media as worthless and counterproductive, let these few examples shine as how social media can be used to its greatest extent. This is the future of breaking news and I'm a fan.
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