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Does the mainstream media get why people are taking to the streets?

A fascinating blog post by BBC Newsnight's economic editor Paul Mason:Twenty reasons why it's kicking off everywhere identifies common threads that link events in Egypt, Yemen and Sudan to Greece, France Ireland and Britain.

Graduates with no future, women with greater access to education, use of social media for expression in "a variety of situations ranging from parliamentary democracy to tyrrany" and and understanding of power and how to challenge it like no generation before - these are some of the distinctives Paul Mason identifies.

Whether you agree with the Paul Mason's analysis or not, it is clear that around the world a generation has become politically mobilised.

And it also raises questions, such as:

What happens to this new, fluffy global zeitgeist when it runs up against the old-style hierarchical dictatorship in a death match, where the latter has about 300 Abrams tanks.

At the Frontline Club next Tuesdayfrontlineclub.com/events/2011/02/on-the-media-reporting-protest.html we will be discussing the changing nature of protests and asking what is the role of journalism in this changing world?

The mainstream media has woken up to the idea that people use social media but is the tag of "Twitter revolution" miss the point? Has the mainstream media adapted to the changing nature of protest? Do the old rules still apply, or are recent events a game-changer for the media?

Join us at the Frontline Club on 15 February to discuss the changing nature of protest and how the media needs to respond