Show notes
In this episode I speak to Asteris Masouras, a global news curator and journalist, about what online activism is getting right -- and how it could improve.We kicked off our conversation with a deep dive into what global news curation actually is, before moving to Twitter’s value as a platform for activism, when to call a fascist a fascist, and deplatforming and censorship as political weapons, among other topics.I learned a lot from my chat with Asteris, and I hope you will too.About AsterisAsteris has been curating global breaking news on Twitter since 2007, where he follows stories ranging from the protests of social justice movements worldwide, to mainstream politics and conflicts around the globe.He was included in the Independent’s 2011 list of “The most influential non-celebrity users of Twitter”, and was an editor at Reportedly, a real-time news experiment sponsored by Pierre Omidyar’s First Look Media.Asteris is also an editor for Global Voices Online, and a co-founder and editor of Global Voices in Greek.Show linksAsteris Masouras on TwitterOpen Source Intelligence2011 Indignants movement (Greece)Steve Bannon and the New Yorker FestivalSteve Bannon’s “The Movement”The Trial of Greece’s Golden Dawn PartyTwo Greek towns protest migrant transfers (November 2019)George Lakoff’s Truth SandwichDaniel Dale on Twitter (CNN reporter, fact-checking the president and other politicians)Books that Asteris recommended:Open Sources 2.0We The Media by Dan GillmorChapters00:00:00: Intro00:01:38: A primer on global news curation00:02:08: Verifying sources00:04:08: Twitter's value as an activism platform00:09:06: Is online grassroots activism making a difference?00:10:02: Challenges for climate change activism00:11:46: Deplatforming and censorship00:16:16: When to call a fascist a fascist, and other labels00:25:26: Two sides watching different movies00:28:05: Lakoff’s “Truth Sandwich” approach to fact-checking00:30:54: Grassroots protest as a model for change00:33:59: Book recommendations00:35:19: OutroMore infoFor more information on Theta Project, visit www.thetaproject.coMusic: “Aerosol” by Mehran Khalili