#NousSommesUnis - The media survival kit
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Yesterday (13 November), several terrorist attacks and bombings plunged France, Europe and the World into a state of despair. How can we best fight it?
I was working when I saw on my twitter account the latest developments regarding the terrorists attacks in Paris. Twelve hours later, all of us are probably still shocked by the madness of last night.
For those of you who are in Paris, have friends in France, or because you just care and you don't know who these f****** are, here are some tips to avoid becoming a goat.
That's what it is all about. Last night attacks, on a Friday evening were made to frighten us, to transform us into goats or sheep, being scared all the time and of everyone.
These attacks were shaped to kill our moods, break our nerves, fading away for good any desire for leisure, and pleasures we can simply enjoy - seeing friends over a beer or a coffee, going to a concert or a football game to clear our heads.
But we need to fight back and to help our lovers, friends, families, acquaintances to step up, to keep us smart and decent. It is normal to be feared of what happened, it is also normal not to resist.
Terrorists and their commanders attacked Europe, and maybe France for a peculiar reason. It is because we do enjoy leisure, being free to spend and waste time. January's attack was to destroy our free speech, now they want to smash our free minds.
For that they have simple tools, which are not their own. We can watch the latest developments. But let's do it properly.
# Check your sources
If you are a Twitter, Facebook, Reddit addict (or whatever), be sure of the accounts you are following. Always trace where the source of the tweet is coming from. If it is an anonymous account, with only retweets, it might not be a safe account to have news-worthy and truthful information. If you feel overcome by contradictory information, stick to news agencies, official police accounts, or leave your laptops and smartphone for a couple of hours.
# Choose your media
Check and select your news providers. We recommend so far mostly live-blogs from Le Monde or Libération. You may say they are not up to date every time but they scored good points last January by only publishing news and facts doubled and tripled checked by their own sources and reporters. Plus, they often decide not to publish videos with blood and others images and footage that can be disturbing for viewers.
If you only read and understand English, we might recommand the Guardian. For the TV channels, the best one so far was France 24 English Version, based in Paris.
But most of all, are you okay?