Social media tools get election in Iran news to the world

Traditional media seems to be rendered practically useless during the Iranian election aftermath.  President Ahmadinejad announced his victory over rival Mousavi in this heated election, where many are questioning the validity of this result, and what it means for Iran and the world.

Alongside, and overtaking the media coverage on the eleciton are many social media tools like, blogs (like Terry Flew), Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are giving the world an unfiltered or less filtered look at what many in the world are looking at a huge step backwards for Iran.  Social tech site, Mashable made this analysis on how these social web tools are being used. 

Political figures also are making their own presence with the online community, like Presidential candidate Mousavi who can be found on Twitter. And large news organizations like the BBC , who have to film undercover, as their tapes have been confiscated, and are disseminating their coverage on social network Youtube.

Also, the social and political web community are critiquing many major news organizations on their coverage of the election in Iran as not a true depiction of what the citizens of Iran are saying and experiencing.  The hashtag #CNNfail was trending on Twitter this week.  This shows the power of citizen journalism during an ever changing and turmultuous political climate in an age where over coming censorship and disseminating news is in the hands of the individual. Check out Feminist Majority Foundations post about how Twitter is revolutionizaing news.

Above is the NFB documentary film, A Tree that Remembers, by Iranian Canadian filmmaker, Masoud Raouf.