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A protester holds up a laptop showing images of celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned 11 February 2011. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
A protester holds up a laptop showing images of celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned 11 February 2011. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Revolutions relayed by the minute – how Egyptians kept connected

This article is more than 12 years old
The Arab Spring demonstrated the power of revolutionary politics, news organisations and social media – with the Guardian at the heart of events

Amid the tear gas, bullets and petrol bombs unleashed by the Mubarak regime as Egypt's discredited government tried desperately to cling to power, many pro-change protesters approached international journalists in the streets and asked simply: "Does the world know what's happening?".

Their fear – that the bravery of the Egyptian people in taking on a Western-backed dictatorship, the violence meted out to them by the state, and the hundreds of deaths which resulted might all go unreported in the global media – was understandable. At the height of the uprising virtually all communications were cut by the authorities as major cities descended into war-zones, leaving Egyptians isolated from even their own neighbours – never mind the rest of the planet.

But the world did know what was happening, thanks in no small part to the Guardian's unwavering commitment to the story despite the most challenging of circumstances. As the only British newspaper to have had a correspondent permanently based in Cairo in the years leading up to the revolution, the Guardian was in pole position to seek out the nuances of Egypt's seismic upheaval and its team of reporters on the ground – who suffered arrests, detainments and beatings for their efforts – covered every aspect of the revolt as it happened, through written pieces, photos, videos and live audio that was relayed to millions beyond the country's borders.

They were supported by an incredible editorial team back in London and the US who worked around the clock to provide support, context and a rolling live blog that, along with al-Jazeera's TV coverage, became the web's top destination for anyone wanting to keep track of the dramatic events unfolding in North Africa.

But more importantly, the paper's coverage became a crucial source of information for Egyptians themselves once the internet was switched back on. With local media sites often paralysed by the unrest, Guardian articles and the rolling live blog – much of which was translated into Arabic – provided vital detail about the latest political developments, international reaction and the mood amongst grassroots activists in Tahrir and elsewhere.

Some of the Guardian's headlines about the brutality and corruption of the Mubarak regime were scrawled on placards and mentioned in sermons, and although the paper's influence on events was obviously minor compared to the vast, ground-level and social media networks that were used to disseminate updates among revolutionaries, many of those involved have expressed thanks to the Guardian for the role the newspaper played in the uprising.

More on this story

More on this story

  • Openness – the mind, body and soul of our journalism

  • How our journalists stay safe while reporting

  • Collaborating on the cuts story means we tell it better

  • How the crowd changed everything

  • The Guardian's news values: a question of Trust

  • High-wire journalism – with added future shocks

  • The Guardian and Global development – committed to a fairer world

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