Question

read the excerpt from \the role of social media in the arab uprisings\ by heather brown, emily guskin, and amy mitchell.
twitter, facebook and other new media offer ways for the arab - american news media to reach audiences, but also pose a threat to smaller outlets. in addition to keeping up with the online presence of larger news organizations, arab - american media are forced to compete with user - generated content that is rapidly available to audiences. the utility of social media in accessing information became clear during the arab uprisings and events such as egypts parliamentary and presidential elections. however, suzanne manneh of new america media points out that the credibility of this information is difficult to verify \depending on where its from, to whom its attributed, and especially when various events are happening very quickly.\
which statement best evaluates the evidence in the text?
the authors use of quotations from eyewitnesses support the argument well, but the descriptions from their own experiences do little to support the claim.
the authors effectively use anecdotes to explain the challenges to arab american news media, but the statistics they incorporate detract from the claim.
the authors do not effectively support their claim because they do not include eyewitness testimony.
the authors effectively use verifiable information and a quotation from an expert to support their claim.

Explanation:

The text presents a claim about the role of social media for Arab - American news media (both as a tool and a threat). It then provides verifiable information (such as the need to compete with user - generated content and keep up with larger news organizations' online presence) and a quotation from an expert (Suzanne Manneh) about the credibility issues of user - generated content.

Answer:

The authors effectively use verifiable information and a quotation from an expert to support their claim.