Andy Carvin is a senior strategist at National Public Radio (NPR) and leads their social media strategy. He describes himself as a “real-time informational DJ and occasional journalist, but not a social media guru”, although many would regard him as just that.

Andy Carvin’s Twitter feed @acarvin is regarded as essential for following breaking news events, particularly in the Middle East. Carvin has some 88,000 followers on Twitter. But it’s his method of aggregating, filtering and verifying news sources through social media that has attracted global attention.

Carvin’s new book Distant Witness (CUNY Journalism Press) explores how social media and the Arab Spring have caused a revolution in journalism. It’s essential reading for journalists. Not only does Carvin tell a compelling story, interwoven with gripping Tweets, he offers insight into citizen journalism and how news organisations can use social media effectively. As Carvin puts it: “storytelling has entered new territory”.

From the overthrow of President Ben Ali in Tunisia in 2011, Carvin explains how he was able to build upon his own knowledge of the Tunisian blogosphere, and develop a network of reliable sources on Twitter. But when he needed help for translations or to verify sources such as videos on YouTube, Carvin called for volunteers from his Twitter followers.

This method Carvin writes, “increases the chances of me getting a fast response, it also lets me cross-reference translations from multiple people, improving the overall accuracy.”

For Carvin, Tunisia would be the start of an extraordinary period of live tweeting revolutions and protests across the Arab world.

“And we had witnessed it online, from start to finish, not through the lens of mainstream media, but through protestors themselves.”

Deutsche Welle’s Rachel Baig asked Andy Carvin about citizen journalism and working as a “living, breathing real-time verification” machine.

By Natalia Karbasova

Moritz Sauer, journalist and DW Akademie trainer

Today, journalists have an array of digital tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTuve or blogs at their disposal. Any of these tools can help you increase your visibility on the web and promote your content. What should you start with, what are the absolute must-haves and which basic rules should you follow when enhancing your digital presence? In this interview, Moritz Sauer, a DW Akademie trainer, answers these questions and many more.

Twitter is a great tool to promote your stories and enhance your online identity. Treat your Twitter account as your business card. It should look professional, individual and cool.

That’s why it’s important to customize your Twitter page. If you have a personal blog, see to it that the colors are alike and that you use the same profile photo.

And yes, it is absolutely imperative that you upload a good-looking photo of yourself. Standard red and orange eggs aren’t likely to make a good impression on your audience. If you want them to mind you, you first have to mind them, right? So upload a photo.

Image courtesy of knowledges33kerash/Flickr

In the face of current developments, journalists should embrace an attitude which isn’t dictated by whether they like something or not. The question is more one of relevance and the extent to which the Internet’s abundant possibilities can make journalism better. The parameters of journalism have been greatly redefined. That means journalists need to rethink the way they think. Here are seven ways to get into the mindset of a modern-day journalist.

1) Create your own, personalized news agency

Conventional channels aren’t the only way to find relevant voices. Breaking news is no longer the exclusive domain of traditional newswires and brand-name media organizations. Twitter, Facebook and blogs can be interesting alternative sources. They’re as respectable – or not – as any other source. In other words, the information has to be verified. So it’s a good idea to set up a reliable social circle. During the coverage of the Arab Spring in North Africa, NPR journalist Andy Carvin demonstrated how efficiently that can be done. Social networking sites are teeming with experts on all kinds of topics.

By Raksmey Meas

Raksmey Meas, assistant lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, reports that Japan’s catastrophe involving the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami has yet again taken center stage in the world media’s attention.

Particularly in Cambodia, news related to Japan and its disaster racked up on front pages for more than a week following the initial shock on March 11^th.

Regarding the focus of Cambodian media on this tragedy, news angles seem to be anything on the updates of the situation – death toll, possible nuclear explosion and rescue efforts, etc.