Twitter and Detained Photographers
Interesting news today from TechCrunch regarding an American photographer arrested in Egypt for photographing a protest. Apparently, Twitter played a part in his release from jail:
“UC Berkeley graduate journalism student James Karl Buck was arrested on April 10 without any charges in Egypt for photographing a demonstration.
“He used his mobile phone to twitter the message “Arrested” to his 48 followers, who contacted UC Berkeley, the US Embassy and a number of press organizations on his behalf.
“The next day Buck twittered ” Alive and ok. Still in jail,” but was released not too long afterwards.” (link)
Who would’ve thought that you’d be able to keep your cell phone while sitting in an Egyptian jail cell?
In all seriousness, I’m coming to appreciate the value of Twitter as a real-time wire service and communication medium. From MercuryNews:
“He recalls advice from his Twitter friends came in mounds of terse messages, “It was a combination of things, my Egyptian friends told me to play the ‘American bitch’ and try to force my way out.’ They also told him that it was no big deal and to just stay calm.
“‘They use Twitter sort of like an instant wire service,’ he said. ‘It’s the way they keep in touch with each other. They go to an event and Twitter what’s happening.’…
“Meanwhile, U.S. friends on his Twitter net called the university and the American Embassy. They also alerted the Associated Press, the International Herald Tribune and other media, which helped put the heat on the Egyptian authorities. He was released on Friday and returned home on Sunday.” (link)
OK, so it probably wasn’t Twitter that really saved him as much as it was that he was an American with a cell phone, but still. How better to reach such a large group of people around the world instantaneously from anywhere in the world?
In only slightly related news, you can follow me on Twitter @sduffyphotos while I’m in the West Bank. 
In other detained photographer news, an Iraqi court ordered the release of AP photographer Bilal Hussein:
Tags: detained, egypt, embassy, iraq, jail, photographer, photojournalism, twitter“An Iraqi judicial committee has ordered the release of an Associated Press photographer held by the U.S. military in Iraq for two years and dismissed terrorism-related accusations against him, the news agency said on Wednesday.
“The U.S. military has accused Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi, of working with insurgents in Iraq. He was seized in April 2006 in Ramadi, capital of western Anbar province, and has been imprisoned without charge ever since.” (link)
