Editor's Blog
By Bill Hurley
Social Media, Technology, Journalism, Education
Wisconsin collective bargaining crisis causes social media explosion
Sunday, February 27, 2011
When crisis occurs, people turn to social media. We learned this many times over in recent years, including the Haiti earthquake and, more recently, with the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
But it never struck home for us like it has over the last two weeks. When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s sneak attack on collective bargaining became exposed a couple weeks ago, it led to tens of thousands of educators, other public employees, families and concerned citizens descending on the State Capitol – and marching in their communities – to express their outrage.
But those highly visible and persistent street crowds – which have now rallied every day for nearly two weeks straight - are just the tip of the iceberg of this vast and passionate movement against the governor’s unjust and unwarranted attack on the rights of hundreds
But it never struck home for us like it has over the last two weeks. When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s sneak attack on collective bargaining became exposed a couple weeks ago, it led to tens of thousands of educators, other public employees, families and concerned citizens descending on the State Capitol – and marching in their communities – to express their outrage.
But those highly visible and persistent street crowds – which have now rallied every day for nearly two weeks straight - are just the tip of the iceberg of this vast and passionate movement against the governor’s unjust and unwarranted attack on the rights of hundreds