WVU forum focusing on social media in Middle East

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Experts are gathering at West Virginia University to discuss the role of social media in the Arab Spring.

WVU's School of Journalism and Ogden Newspapers are hosting a Tuesday night discussion with journalists, activists and bloggers who will explore social media's role in bringing free speech to the Middle East.

National Public Radio strategist Andy Carvin will help lead the session at the Mountainlair.

Joining him are a Cairo-based blogger, a documentary filmmaker, a civil rights outreach director at the American Islamic Congress, and the director of international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The discussions will be webcast and tweeted using the hashtag (hash)WVUIdeas.

The panel will reconvene at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the state Culture Center in Charleston.

Both events are free to the public.