write by night presents

What can we learn from Kony2012? A livestream of Deadliners journalismdiscussion series

Joseph Kony, the world's most wanted criminal, has lead the Lord's ResistanceArmy since the late '80s.
Photo by Stuart Price/Environmental Protection Agency
It's impossible to turn a blind eye to the children with weapons portrayedin Invisible Children.
Kony 2012 aims to make Kony a household name.
Kony 2012/Invisible Children

Deadliners, a journalism discussion series presented by WriteByNight, presents a discussion on Kony2012 and what journamlism can learn from it.

The viral video by California-based activist group Invisible Children proved to be incredibly polarizing. In one camp there were the students and Facebook addicts who shared the link and donated to the cause of capturing Ugandan guerilla leader Joseph Kony; in the other were those who thought the video over-simplified an incredibly complex problem that the mainstream press had been chronicling for years. But one thing was certain: Kony2012 got a lot of viewers, 85 million at the last count.

So did journalism do something wrong in its duty to inform the public about the LRA’s activities in Uganda? If so, what was it? And what, if anything, can it learn from Invisible Children’s slick film-making and social media know-how to better get the message about this and other important issues across in the future?

The discussion will be moderated by event chair Alex Hannaford and livestreamed on CultureMap Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. As always, questions from the audience are encouraged, and the debate will continue afterward over a glass of wine. (So pour your own at home.)

Panelist bios

Maira Garcia is the social media editor at the Austin American-Statesman where she monitors the latest trends in tech and online communication. She is a blogger, video producer and web and graphic designer.

Reeve Hamilton is a reporter on the Texas Tribune. A Houston native, he was a desk assistant at The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Vanderbilt University.

David Krug has worked in internet technology for over a decade and currently coaches entrepreneurs on online marketing and social media for SearchGarden.

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To learn more about Deadliners, check out CultureMap's coverage of "No Photography: Dealing with Obstruction."

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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