It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that the media and news have been revolutionized the way we see the world. Today we are able to access news stories from around the globe as they unfold in real time. Reporters and networks are able to instantly connect to their audiences via Twitter and Facebook as well as on news websites and breaking news emails. Organizations and campaigns have also taken advantage of the media revolution. Human rights and global activist campaigns have especially benefitted from exposure on social media outlets. The United Nations is using social media to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this Saturday. The campaign called “30 Days and 30 Rights” started November 10th with a daily posting about one specific article of the thirty Universal Declaration’s articles. The UN’s human rights office reported more than 1 million people visit the Facebook page from all around the globe. (Snow)
The United Nations is not only voice in the media on human rights; Nicholas Kristof, an opinion columnist for the New York Times has brought these issue to the table for the masses. According to Melissa Steffan of the Washington Post, “Kristof’s voice has proven to be a powerful one, leading American readers to become more active in issues of international human-rights violations”. A two-time Pultizer Prize winner and author of several books, Kristof joined the Times in 1984. Kristof has worn many hats, first covering economics for the New York Times, he was a correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo and later the Associate Editor of the New York Times responsible for the Sunday Editions (“Columnist”). He attended Harvard College and studied law at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. During his years as a student, Kristof backpacked around Africa and Asia and wrote articles to cover his expenses. Kristof has lived on four continents, reported on six and traveled to more than 140 countries; he studied Arabic in Cairo and Chinese in Taipei. His first Pulitzer Prize that he shares with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, came from their coverage of the Chinese Tiananmen Square democracy movement in 1990. According to his Columnist Biography from the New York Times, Kristof has taken a special interest in Web journalism. The first blogger on the New York Times Web site, Kristof also tweets and posts on his Facebook page weekly.
Nicholas Kristof won his second Pultizer for his commentary on the genocide in Dafur in 2006, “giving a voice to the voiceless in other parts of the world”. (“Columnist”) His columns largely focus on issues and events in the developing world such as poverty, health and gender. In 2009, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published a book of their experience abroad in gender issues entitled Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Kristof and his wife chronicle their first-hand experiences with women in human trafficking, forced prostitution health and microfinance. The documentary Reporter best sums up Nicholas Kristof’s mission as a reporter and an activist. This film reveals “how and why real reporting is vital to our democracy, our world-awareness, and our capacity to be a force for good” (“Reporter”). Nicholas Kristof is not only an advocate of human rights and positive global change; he is a real journalist struggling to preserve the truth of reporting while exposing the hidden horrors of the world.
Note to the class: Each year Kristof holds a “win-a-trip” reporting contest to Africa and this year is exclusively open to university students. Here is the link if you are interested: http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/announcing-win-a-trip-2012/
Works Cited
Snow, Anita. "UN Marks Human Rights Day with Social Media." Associated Press via Google. Associated Press, 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
Steffan, Melissa. "Nicholas Kristof: How a New York Times Columnist Rewrote Opinion Journalism." Editorial. Washington Post [Washington DC] 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
Columnist Biography - Nicholas D. Kristof - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com." The New York Times. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
http://www.reporterfilm.com/synopsis.html
Hey Haley,
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you are aware, but Nicholas Kristof played a pivotal role in the 2011 Libyan unrest as well. He wrote earlier this year about the instigation of a no-fly zone which was detrimental to the U.S. success in Libya. He is also regarded by many powerful government officials as being somewhat of an "advisor". I am sure you are also aware that he is regarded as one of the most successful journalists of all time! This guy is is pretty legit!
Haley:
ReplyDeleteWhile I certainly respect Kristof's opinion and enjoy reading his column, how much does Kristof really affect public policy in the United States? I know that though I read his column, I have never written my congressman asking them to investigate a topic he is talking about-- so if journalism exposes issues to the general public, how much of the general public responds? And is the government even listening?
Haley,
ReplyDeleteI know it is a real danger to be a reporter that drags up sensitive issues or criticizes the government(both domestic or foreign). Has he ever faced any danger when he has travel abroad, for instance in China?
Hey Haley,
ReplyDeleteDo you think because Kristoff is more of an activist journalist and less of a political journalist he gains bipartisan readership, or do you think one political party (Democrat or Republican) reads his column more than the other?
Hi Haley,
ReplyDeleteI have read a few of Nicholas Kristof's columns, but I had no idea of the global impact he has had on the media world.
I'm curious as to whether or not Kristof has ever been a correspondent for a news station, and if so is it a typically liberal, conservative, or moderate station?
If not, do you think this could contribute to the lack of impact Kristof might have had on global civil society or global politics? Perhaps the lack of Americans that read newspapers could have an impact on the amount of coverage Kristof's stories get. In our media class, we talked about the American public's attention span, and how they can only pay attention for so long. There is a trend toward media that is full of short stories with emotional impact. Would television coverage help get the American public's attention?