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NYT interviews Egyptian blogger via Skype

Posted by Cory Bergman on January 27, 2011

It looks like much of Egypt is without internet access at this hour, but earlier the NY Times interviewed Gigi Ibrahim (@Gsquare86), an Egyptian blogger and activist, who’s been sending out a steady stream of tweets from Cairo. And they did it via Skype:

Call it “social newsgathering,” a new skill that involves Twitter sleuthing, Skype interviewing and for TV folks, an open mind about video quality. I particularly like the way NY Times edited the piece — Robert Mackey, wearing a headset and sitting at his desk, asking her questions. It feels more personal, more real.

Ibrahim has also aired on BBC — her webcam a TV studio, her Twitter account a tool to connect with journalists across the world. “It’s important to me to be kind of like a citizen journalist, because our press here, not everything gets broadcast,” she says.