The limits of citizen journalism « Online Journalism

Why were new media able to topple governments in Egypt and Tunisia, but sparked new waves of oppression in Syria and Iran? During the Arab Spring last year, citizen journalists, using Facebook, Twitter, email and iPhones, undermined state censorship and contributed to the success of massive pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and Tunis. Yet in Iran, many of the activists were arrested while in the case of the Iranian ally, Syria, the government simply attacked with tanks.