Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Documenting conflict zones is not a new phenomenon, but the ethics of this are increasingly coming into focus. Photojournalists are on the frontlines, documenting atrocities to inform the world of a dictator’s abuses, while dictators welcome influencers to paint a false picture of the state of the countries they rule with an iron fist.
HRF’s panel at South By Southwest 2024 explores the question: How can we ensure that the general public can decipher between the reality of conflict zones and human rights violations versus influencers’ white-washed portrayal of the situation?
Panelists:
Anjan Sundaram - Award-winning author and journalist
Julianne Romy - Lawyer at Global Rights Compliance, Ukraine
Darian Impiombato - China Researcher at Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Abdulrahman al Mawwas - White Helmets Archive Manager
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Panel Discussion: Documenting Conflict Zones
00:06:41 - The White Helmets and the Battle Between Influencers and Journalists
00:13:13 - The Influence of Social Media in Conflict Zones
00:19:52 - Influencer Propaganda
00:26:21 - The Importance of Footage Verification
00:33:01 - Filtering Information in Social Media
00:39:45 - The Challenges of Verifying and Spreading Information
00:47:00 - Making Human Rights Issues Newsworthy
00:53:42 - The Precariousness of Freelance Journalists
01:00:19 - Perspectives on Ukraine
Learn more about our work at the Human Rights Foundation:
Website: hrf.org
X (formerly Twitter): https://X.com/HRF
Instagram: instagram.com/hrf
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hrf
Subscribe to HRF’s Substack: humanrightsfoundation.substack.com
Join us in promoting freedom where it’s most at risk!
Donate today: hrf.org/?form=donate
#HumanRights #ConflictZones #WarCrimes #AuthoritarianRegimes #Syria #Ukraine #China #Uyghurs #WhiteHelmets #EyewitnessApp #DroneStrikes #ChemicalAttacks #Misinformation #Influencers #Journalists #Activists #TransnationalRepression #Accountability #AtrocityCrimes #InternationalLaw #ForgottenCrises #TechSolutions #VideoEvidence #JusticeForAll #TruthInReporting #StopWarCrimes #DefendTheDefenders #NoMoreSilence #SpeakUpForRights #EvidenceMatters #InvestigateAbuses #ExposeCrimes #StandWithVictims #NeverForget #EndImpunity
Documenting conflict zones is not a new phenomenon, but the ethics of this are increasingly coming into focus. Photojournalists are on the frontlines, documenting atrocities to inform the world of a dictator’s abuses, while dictators welcome influencers to paint a false picture of the state of the countries they rule with an iron fist.
HRF’s panel at South By Southwest 2024 explores the question: How can we ensure that the general public can decipher between the reality of conflict zones and human rights violations versus influencers’ white-washed portrayal of the situation?
Panelists:
Anjan Sundaram - Award-winning author and journalist
Julianne Romy - Lawyer at Global Rights Compliance, Ukraine
Darian Impiombato - China Researcher at Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Abdulrahman al Mawwas - White Helmets Archive Manager
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Panel Discussion: Documenting Conflict Zones
00:06:41 - The White Helmets and the Battle Between Influencers and Journalists
00:13:13 - The Influence of Social Media in Conflict Zones
00:19:52 - Influencer Propaganda
00:26:21 - The Importance of Footage Verification
00:33:01 - Filtering Information in Social Media
00:39:45 - The Challenges of Verifying and Spreading Information
00:47:00 - Making Human Rights Issues Newsworthy
00:53:42 - The Precariousness of Freelance Journalists
01:00:19 - Perspectives on Ukraine
Learn more about our work at the Human Rights Foundation:
Website: hrf.org
X (formerly Twitter): https://X.com/HRF
Instagram: instagram.com/hrf
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hrf
Subscribe to HRF’s Substack: humanrightsfoundation.substack.com
Join us in promoting freedom where it’s most at risk!
Donate today: hrf.org/?form=donate
#HumanRights #ConflictZones #WarCrimes #AuthoritarianRegimes #Syria #Ukraine #China #Uyghurs #WhiteHelmets #EyewitnessApp #DroneStrikes #ChemicalAttacks #Misinformation #Influencers #Journalists #Activists #TransnationalRepression #Accountability #AtrocityCrimes #InternationalLaw #ForgottenCrises #TechSolutions #VideoEvidence #JusticeForAll #TruthInReporting #StopWarCrimes #DefendTheDefenders #NoMoreSilence #SpeakUpForRights #EvidenceMatters #InvestigateAbuses #ExposeCrimes #StandWithVictims #NeverForget #EndImpunity
