When the revolution in Tunisia started in the winter of 2010, the mainstream media wasn't even paying attention. The stories, photos, and videos from the frontlines came out because of citizen media, spread by Twitter, YouTube, and local citizen media sites like Tunisia Live.
This year has been the year of citizen media. From Tunisia to London, citizen media (and its partner, social media) has captured the attention of citizens, media, and governments alike. Tunisia Live is a post-revolution citizen media initiative that connects the country with the English-speaking world.
Just a few weeks ago, it captured the thoughts of citizens, focusing specifically on their perception of the role and value of media:
Changemakers had a chance to speak with one of three co-founders of Tunisia Live: Zied Mhirsi, a 33-year old Tunisian radio host, doctor, and global health professional. Mhirsi hosts a weekly radio program, Netshow, on Express FM, which explores political trends; prior to the revolution, Netshow gave a voice to Tunisian bloggers.
For more than six years, Mhirsi had one of the most popular blogs in Tunisia, called Zizou From Djerba, and his expertise is quite impressive. We were delighted for the opportunity to hear his thoughts and share his perspective with you.
Changemakers: Citizens seem comfortable speaking to you about media — do you think this would have been the case prior to the revolution?
Mhirsi: Before the revolution, media was not free. Ben Ali was often mentioned in the top rankings of the enemies of the press. Very few Tunisians would talk about media censorship and state-controlled media. The Ben Ali regime used to punish those who criticized it.
This created a situation where "official" Tunisian media was boycotted while blogs and other citizen media channels expanded. Towards the end of the Ben Ali era, the government started cracking down on bloggers and talking about media became even more difficult.
Changemakers: The people you speak with in the video seem to have a generally positive perspective on the influence and potential of media to improve their lives. Do you find this is the case across the country? Are there groups of people who are more hesitant to support citizen media?
Mhirsi: After years of propaganda, most Tunisians are thirsty for free and independent media. They would also like to see and hear about the issues that touch them. I believe Tunisians have a positive perspective on the influence of media on their lives because the media supported their revolution and allowed it to succeed.
After the revolution, some people started questioning the ethics of certain citizen media platforms. Private media outlets criticized the ability of citizen media to offer independent and verified information and this led to a loss of trust between the different players.
Changemakers: Tunisia Live is a self-proclaimed "post-revolution initiative." How was the idea born?
Mhirsi: Tunisia lived under a dictatorship since its independence. The Tunisian revolution was a unique moment that put Tunisia under the spotlight and the world was interested to understand and to know more about what happened here.
Tunisia Live was born when we realized that Tunisians were not taking the time to communicate to the world about their revolution. We created Tunisia Live in order to connect Tunisia to the world and to make our local stories go global.
Changemakers: What was it like launching this venture in the midst of a revolution?
Mhirsi: Tunisians were focused and worried about their future. Social unrest, strikes, and other demonstrations were happening on a daily basis. Governmental structures were slow to respond and starting a business was quite a challenge.
Once we launched, the initial feedback was extremely positive and we received a lot of support from foreign journalists, mainly in the form of training and mentoring. You can also feel that the young people who joined Tunisia Live had a strong commitment to being part of the process of building a new Tunisia and contributing to the revolution in a different way.
Changemakers: How do you think citizen media has influenced the post-revolution period in Tunisia?
Mhirsi: Since the revolution, citizen media became a major source of news for the ordinary Tunisian. Although the dictatorship ended, traditional media structures were unable and unprepared to deal with their newly-gained freedoms.
Tunisian journalists were trained in governmental structures, censored from their first day on the job, and influenced by editors to follow the regime's propaganda. Citizen media filled up the vacuum, providing Tunisians with crucial information and allowing international news networks to cover what was going on.
Changemakers: How do you see citizen media playing out and developing in other parts of the world?
Mhirsi: Citizen media is the future of journalism in developing countries like Tunisia. It fills up the vacant space left by traditional media and engages people in the political process in the local and day-to day-level. It also plays the role of a real-life journalism school where ordinary citizens can embrace their dreams and pursue their goal of becoming professional journalists who can impact their community.
Tunisia Live is the first Tunisian news website in English, and is run by lay-journalists who aim to bring change to Tunisia by making local and national information accessible to a global audience. They are also building the capacity of Tunisians to learn about journalism and politics to create stronger, more engaged citizens
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