[View the story "What Really Happened in Qalandia?" on Storify ]What Really Happened in Qalandia? Journalists are using Twitter to challenge the mainstream media's narrative of protests in the West Bank. Storified by The Stream · Wed, Oct 26 2011 21:59:44
In a piece for Israeli web-magazine +972 , Israeli-American journalist Joseph Dana writes about the effect that social media has had in covering the Palestinian Territories.
Twitter is changing the nature of breaking news from West Bank demonstrations. It is exposing Israel’s heavy handed crowd control methods which often break the army’s own internal codes of conduct. 972mag.com
YouTube user jeaunkes uploaded this video of Sunday's protest at Qalandia, a checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem.
An Naksa 05/06/11 Kalandia Checkpointjeaunkes
Joseph Dana covered the June 5th protest as well. Throughout the day he live-tweeted photos and updates from the ground.
As I was standing amidst the chaos yesterday at the Qalandia checkpoint — the site of a demonstration marking the anniversary of the 1967 war — I reported on Twitter what I saw.972mag.com
Another round of attack with tear gas. Hard to explain how painful it is http://twitpic.com/57aprribnezra
Another photo from now in #qalandia http://twitpic.com/57aqdmibnezra
Tires set on fire now http://twitpic.com/57arfwibnezra
I am fine. This is what israel is shooting now and they causing serious injuries in qalandia http://twitpic.com/57b1nmibnezra
Soldiers have taken a second house now in qalandia http://twitpic.com/57bi1pibnezra
As you can there are some people here in qalandia http://twitpic.com/57bknfibnezra
Soldiers attacking from rooftops. Look at the top right corner of the photo http://twitpic.com/57bqf6ibnezra
The army coated M Khatib of bilin in pepper spray. This is his arm http://twitpic.com/57cbncibnezra
As Dana tweeted from Qalandia, The Jerusalem Post reported that Palestinian protesters threw gasoline bombs at Israeli soldiers.
Roughly 250 Palestinians demonstrated at the Kalandia Checkpoint in northern Jerusalem. The demonstrators tried to cross into Israel by foot at the checkpoint around noon, and threw rocks, Molotov cocktails, and burning tires at the army and border police forces.jpost.com
Dana's tweets from Qalandia contradicted the Post's reporting.
I have seen palestinians throwing stones but I have not seen or heard of any moltov cocktails. There was one burning tired, not rolledibnezra
The army response has been rubber, live bullets, skunk, tear gas canisters as bullets and pepper sprayibnezra
In his +972 post the next day, Dana challenged the Post's version of events.
The Jpost piece stills says that Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails at soldiers. I did not see the preparation or use of Moltov cocktails in the course of the demonstration. If I had, I would have tweeted the information as it is a significant increase in violence. I challenge the Jerusalem Post to substantiate their claim.972mag.com
One Twitter user, avimayer , criticized Joseph's description of the protest as "nonviolent" and "unarmed."
I think this bears saying: Reporters should report. Advocates should advocate. And both should be honest about what they do.avimayer
After a long back-and-forth between the two on Twitter, Joseph commented that the Israeli Army did not give any photographic proof of the charge that gasoline bombs were used in the protest.
What is striking is the fact that the IDF does not have someone on the ground twitter from these demos?Why don't they?What are they afraid?ibnezra
If the IDF claims that Palestinians are throwing Molotov cocktails, why don't they have someone tweeting live from the ground with photo?ibnezra
If the IDF will feed Jpost these 'facts' about violent riots they should at least back them up. I guess I am idealisticibnezra
Have you seen other examples of social media users on the ground contradicting mainstream media reports? Let The Stream know via Twitter or Facebook .
