Social media was how many of us consumed the 2011 Arab uprisings. Technology was putting power in the hands of the people. To use social media in 2021, especially in the Middle East, is to navigate a maze of internet laws, surveillance, censorship, fake news, and bots. With Facebook now looking for ways to make political content less visible, we’re asking: what changed?

In this episode:

Mohamad Najam (@monajem), executive director of SMEX, a digital rights organization in Beirut, Lebanon; Jillian C. York (@jilliancyork), director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Social&nbsp;media was how many of us consumed the 2011 Arab uprisings. Technology was putting power in the hands of the people. To use&nbsp;social&nbsp;media in 2021, especially in the Middle East, is to navigate a maze of internet laws, surveillance, censorship, fake news, and bots. With Facebook now looking for ways to make political content less visible, we’re asking: what changed?In this episode:Mohamad Najam (<a href="https://twitter.com/monajem" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@monajem</a>), executive director of <a href="https://twitter.com/SMEX" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SMEX</a>, a digital rights organization in Beirut, Lebanon; Jillian C. York (<a href="https://twitter.com/jilliancyork" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@jilliancyork</a>), director for <a href="https://twitter.com/IFEX" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Freedom of Expression</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/EFF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>.Connect with The Take:&nbsp;Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/AJTheTake" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@AJTheTake</a>), Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajthetake/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@ajthetake</a>) and Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTakePod/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@TheTakePod</a>)

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

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