The Arab Spring was not only about political revolution; it heralded a revolution in news gathering, too. The use of social media in war-torn cities in the Middle East is an extension of the new era described in Andy Carvin’s book Distant Witness, which chronicles unprecedented coverage of breaking news in wake of the Arab Spring. Then the social media strategist for the National Public Radio (NPR), Carvin has been hailed “the man who tweets revolutions,” and his book describes — in the manner of a thriller — breathtaking, eyewitness accounts of civilians risking their lives to show the world intense conflicts via social media. If you want to know more about what’s happening now, read about how it all started in 2011.