Sourcing the Arab Spring: A Case Study of Andy Carvin's Sources on Twitter During the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions

TLDR

News sourcing practices are critical because they determine which actors journalists consult and what information they receive, usually from elite sources. This study evaluates whether social media platforms expand the range of actors involved in news coverage. It does so by conducting a quantitative content analysis of the sources cited by NPR's Andy Carvin on Twitter during the Arab Spring. The analysis found that nonelite sources were more represented than elite ones, with alternative actors comprising nearly half of the messages, and highlighted how new communication technologies enable innovative production forms centered on journalists who authenticate and interpret news flows on social awareness streams.

Abstract

News sourcing practices are critical as they shape from whom journalists get their information and what information they obtain, mostly from elite sources. This study evaluates whether social media platforms expand the range of actors involved in the news through a quantitative content analysis of the sources cited by NPR's Andy Carvin on Twitter during the Arab Spring. Results show that, on balance, nonelite sources had a greater representation in the content than elite sources. Alternative actors accounted for nearly half of the messages. The study points to the innovative forms of production that can emerge with new communication technologies, with the journalist as a central node trusted to authenticate and interpret news flows on social awareness streams.