write by night presents
What can we learn from Kony2012? A livestream of Deadliners journalismdiscussion series
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."