(X-Post from I/P) Why Israel is losing the PR war

[Ignis]

Wired article: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/how-free-explains-israels-flotilla-fiasco

I/P cross-post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x316684

The short answer, IMHO, is the low cost and wide availability of "new media" and "social media" outlets used by NGOs to disseminate information/PR in real time, versus the low budget and low priority that Israel gives to public diplomacy.

In reading this article, I found it fascinating that the BBC was moved to change their reporting on this incident by the number of tweets to certain channels:

On Monday, when flotilla activists felt there was a lack of coverage in the U.K. media of their story, they started twittering about it, and for a few hours, that became the discussion: Why are the BBC and others not reporting on the mission to #BreakTheSiege by the #FreedomFlotilla?

After several hours of this sustained campaign, dozens of bloggers and twitterers claimed success, saying that U.K. news websites were starting to devote more attention to the story.