Being a journalist in Iraq is risky business, and technology isn’t
going to change that. But a phone being devised by Nokia could be
helpful in situations when journalists are abducted.
According to this article in New
Scientist, Nokia has a camera cell phone that pretends to be off while
actually sending an emergency alert, complete with photos, sound, and
GPS location.
According to the article, a recessed panic button sends a pre-recorded
emergency message, and automatically takes a series of time-stamped
photos or video clips, including audio it may pick up, to a service
center or a trusted friend. If reception is lost, the phone stores
everything in memory and automatically transmits when a signal is
acquired. Transmission is said to be discrete, with the phone appearing
to be off.
This sounds like something that news organizations will want to give to correspondents covering trouble spots around the world.
Thanks to my Poynter colleague, Larry Larsen, for pointing this out. He says, “Don’t go to the Mideast without it.”
