So November 4 in Iran is over. Iranians all over the country came out in big and small numbers yet again to demand that their rights be granted and that the government stop its oppression. They chanted slogans, marched through the streets and showed that they still exist. The government sent out its violators to brutalize the peaceful masses and then describe them as ‘goons’ who it claimed only numbered in dozens and who were out to destroy property. The saga has been continuing since June and it has been fascinating to witness.

But it is no less fascinating to experience the steady stream of involvement from outside Iran through social networking sites for this cause. It comes from a variety of sources. Iranians abroad, human rights activists, liberals, conservatives, libertarians, independents… the list goes on. The interest that the situation in Iran has sparked is unparalleled since the introduction of social networking sites. I have followed many situations like this before, though, this is the first time I’ve actually noticed a strong involvement from citizens of other states in the affairs of a different state. And the most important target of this effort is to report the news and to force the media to cover the situation. In other words – get the word out.

For the time being, however, the situation in Iran remains tense and there is no real end to this saga in the near future – as in the next few weeks. But the situation abroad among the followers is not one of pessimism, but one of continued resolve to show their support for Iranian protesters. And it is slowly paying off.

I think one of the most frustrating moments of my life was when the death of Michael Jackson overshadowed the gut-wrenching scenes on Tehran’s streets. Don’t get me wrong – I liked Michael Jackson’s music and I fully understood the grief that his most die-hard fans felt. However, as a human rights activist, I selfishly felt like it was unjust to for the media to pay so much attention to the death of a music icon and ignore the plight of millions of people.

It is a standard media practice, though.

There are two things that every reporter must know in order to be a good reporter. A) The media gives the public what they are most interested in and B) people generally have a very short-attention span so media has to quickly identify and deliver on them. Of course, media can also skillfully – and wrongfully – work to divert people’s attention in a general direction so that they could then feed them what it wants – and most successful media outlets nowadays do that now and then. But not ever member of the public is gullible.

The most striking example of this phenomenon is the saga of Balloon Boy. The media sensed that it was a story that held potential interest for the public and once it had garnered their attention, it fed the frenzy frantically. Even though a minority kept screaming that it was not as important as some other events on that same day – some even refused to believe the boy was in the balloon -, the majority of the public wanted to know. The media delivered.

But the death of Michael Jackson taught me something else. If the minority holds onto its interest and continues to voice its concern, the media has to cater to it. Nov 4 was the day I realized that this was not just possible, but real. That you can actually lobby the media even if you don’t have money is a clear victory for Iran’s supporters abroad.

However, it does come at a price. Yesterday, in the heat of the happenings in Iran, I noticed that at least two twitter user who have been active throughout this crisis were emotionally being pained by the brutality to the point of crying. Others – including myself – have faced similar situations where while you’re attempting to report the news firsthand and lobby the media to participate, you start to feel the effects of the pain and trauma. PTSD is pretty common among war reporters and it seems like some supporters of Iran abroad on the social networking sites are feeling it too.

But the emotional outflow is well-worth it in the sense that at the end of the day, a majority of media organizations that were being targeted on November 4 responded by covering the event. Maybe the coverage was not as overly enthusiastic as the goal was – but given the time that has passed, but it gives us all renewed hope that lobbying the media through social networking sites is very effective – if the lobby holds together long enough.

At the same time, millions of others spent at least some part of the day reading what was being passed along on social networking sites by the Green lobby. A clear example of this from yesterday was Diego Arria – a former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations – who actually took part in tweeting with the Green lobby.

This is both inspirational and beneficial. Such movements abroad could serve the purpose of human rights not just in Iran, but also in other parts of world in times of crisis. Media is perhaps the most powerful non-paid lobby when it comes to swaying a government’s policy. It brings results because the media has turned into one of the easiest ways to let your government know what you want it to do. An example of this was President Barack Obama’s yesterday’s clear message to the Iranian protesters in his statement where he said, “The American people have great respect for the people of Iran and their rich history. The world continues to bear witness to their powerful calls for justice, and their courageous pursuit of universal rights.”

The Iranian people have done their part so far for attaining social justice and universal human rights, but so has the Green lobby outside Iran. And while Iranians’ cry for their rights is being heard around the world, it is in a significant way, also the cry of others who want them to attain those rights.

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