After reading the Cooper (2020) chapters and reviewing the PowerPoint and video, utilize these materials to
describe what you see as benefits and risks with User-Generated Content (UGC) in emergencies, disasters or
humanitarian crises. What could be some of the ethical issues that journalists or other stakeholders may
confront with UGC and how could it impact news coverage and audiences?
Then, the remainder of the discussion post will involve observation activity on Twitter. If you don’t have a
Twitter account, you can create one or you can use someone else’s because this is strictly an observation
exercise. (I have put directions in the resources section of this week. Contact me, please, if this is an issue for
you, and I will walk you through setting up an account. It may be that the account is public and you do not need
to be on Twitter to see it.)
1) Choose a news organization (or a journalist) that has (ideally) reported on a crises in the country you are
doing your project on and find their Twitter handle.
2) Choose an aid / humanitarian / or intergovernmental-type (UNHCR, for example) organization from the list
provided (under materials for the discussion) and find that group’s account on Twitter.
3) Choose from the list of media development organizations and locate the Twitter account.
Provide an analysis of how the tweets are different (and/or similar). Use tweets as examples. To what extent is
User-Generated Content used? For NGOs, including media development/advocacy groups, and UN-type
organizations, is there evidence of collective action or social media campaigns that appear aimed at social
change for the better during a humanitarian crises/disaster/emergency? Is there any government shaming
going on? Appeal to public emotion?
Include in this post, some examples of UGC and type