voices. roxana saberi one of them. they had some voices from the united states. so, other journalists who they do not have any voice but other journalists don't have any voices after spending their time in the prison, no access to any lawyer defending them. it's a complicated story. if you wanted to talk about this, you know, more than i could, more than hundreds, i don't know. but the situation is really difficult. when everything is linked to the islamic law, i think it's really complicated. you cannot talk directly against islam in iraq. one of the professors in iran, he's also a journalist.

they're following their people from -- actually, we cannot do the same 1,400 years when the people at that time did for the prophet mohammed. and even we cannot do for this, as i told you one of the examples, who said, cannot access, you cannot just cooperate with the foreign media. i was with the foreign media for 10 years. my daughter said how do you know the american news agency and the older people criticize the united states. other journalists in the same situation. in iran, it's difficult to say, you can say, you know, free any of your idea. it's really difficult. i hope i answer your question. i want to add something

about your question. two things. the first is that two weeks ago, the revolutionary guard arrested 13 netizens, 13 people using the internet to get information out. what is difficult as we do not have their names. the authorities do not want to give the names. it is difficult to know who was in prison. liviu spent two hours and you are released. it is difficult to get that information. i want to stress one example. his name was [unintelligible] and he died in prison last year. it was before her election. he died in prison. -- it was before the election.

it was negligence. it showed how difficult it is to be in prison. it is difficult to be there. he died and the press and claims that he killed himself with pills. tell me how you get pills to kill himself in prison. everything is good to say it is not the authorities fall. the last example is the protest where 13 netizens were arrested. the authorities claimed it was the cia's fault. the cia was in charge of the protest. >> the clear example of all the things. the iranian-canadian who she was arrested in 2003 and a couple days after, she was arrested in

front of the prison, she took some pictures from in prison. they were killed in the prison. no one did not answer. it is her case and this is the situation, you do not know exactly what is happening to you if you follow the information and follow the truth in the country. maybe the best idea of supporting the journalists, who they are in the prison, who they are [unintelligible] it is crucial to know the organization. i do not know the organization. it would help those people. they have the great job and they had the good opportunity for

free information for their people inside the country. now, [unintelligible] the european countries without answering to others, responding -- they're not in the good condition. some of them have problems and others with financial problems. it is not easy to live like this. all we were in the good situation in thiran, you know yr opinion, what you want. you can describe yourself with the others. you are going for the country's future. all we were like that. when you cannot feel safety in this situation, how are you going to tell your idea? this is very important point. we can move forward.

just using the access of the internet in iran. it was great decision. it was great because the people, they did not trust any source, and the official source where they're coming from the official tv channels. after three days of the election, 3 million people came out and showed, they protested against the government. no one did not invite them. they just came calling each other. the text messages by the phone, they used the telephone. for three months, they cut all the text messages. it cannot imagine how difficult the situation in iran. even having and telling you.

because of my job, i am carrying the camera. this is my job. i'm all the time behind the camera. this is the time i need to talk. i had a small camera in my car. i didn't know what can i do. if they find a small camera in the car. they searched all the people in the streets after elections. finding any pictures in the cameras or any funds. they knew how the powerful photography and information. internationally. this is important. i hope we can do [unintelligible] 4 iran's future. -- for iransn's future.

[unintelligible] >> thanks to reporters without borders for organizing this. we have time for two questions. one of the reporters who was in a hunger strike. he was hospitalized because of his condition. a few weeks ago, he made a statement that i do not want to be afraid and i do not want to be freed under these conditions. another lie so that you for mentioning that. >> you can [unintelligible] >> the second update is with respect to the internet censorship. one of the most amazing things that i have heard recently

through twitter and what not is the censoring of the word [unintelligible] in text messages. >> that is the word. they change even the flag of countries color. the color is made of green, white, and red. the changed teh green -- the green as it was used by the opposition party. the symbol of the election campaign. they changed the color of the fled to the blue. how can you trust this government. it was the fault [unintelligible] unbelievable. you cannot say this is by chance.

they're doing many stories. even painting. the corner of the streets which they were white and green. they are white and black now. it is -- you cannot find any picture of the demonstration of the 2009 election in any official web sites or semi- official web sites of the government. i checked before coming here. you cannot find any one picture. there moved everything. -- they moved everything. we need to do something. >> the comment about the documented evidence.

my question from you is i was wondering what are we doing to help the journalists who managed to get out of iran backs to we have a support system for them? should we think about that? >> fortunately, i have a response to this question. my friends are working for the human rights organization here. they have some resources. they're using these sources but this is not safe. they need to pay the money to smugglers to bring the journalists out of the country. in other hands, how we can use

the situation. we cannot bring out all the journalists from the country. they get to the free information. their lives, they are in danger and they need to -- this is the safety place. how can we [unintelligible] because of a country like iran. they cannot just leave the country like that. maybe the idea is they give them more chance to the people to use the internet, i had a chance to talk with some activities, some political activities in iran. they are using the discussion with congress and they are using the satellite source of the internet, access in iran. this is important. if you can break the censorship

and give people the chance to know about the free information about their country, it will be great. it will be i think the great step to the future of the country. because when i was 10, i told you the revolution happened. now i am thinking this was -- if there was internet during the revolution, if there was internet five years earlier than this in iran, it was great. the change to bring to the country. now, i do not think this is a good idea to bring all the journalists out. you can talk to some of them. all the journalists they know. many journalists, the

journalist's coming out. they're urging friends, they're asking [unintelligible] and three months ago, you mentioned turkey. the journalists [unintelligible] they find they were, they had some links with tv channels, the base in europe and they need to be leavea nd support -- and support their families. they cannot work in any organizations like prisoners. if they want to come out of the prison, they cannot work because all the people know that the -- no their background. they cannot work and the

official part of the government -- in the official part of the government. they need to find another job. the driving, the taxis or some others. [unintelligible] >> i want to tell you [inaudible] mobilizing people, mobilizing on the internet. what we did is we helped -- we are based in paris but we are an international organization. what we did is helping [unintelligible] the situation they are facing. we are currently

[unintelligible] and start gathering the information they have or starting to read books. we already have the initiative. the house is not only for living, it is already full. now we are planning to help them and we wish the house was bigger and other organizations would do the same. that is -- we are helping them. that is the emergency. for the reporters, we do not want to stop working. they know how to report. that is their job. we love to say it is the only thing i can do.

it is the only thing we can do. they do not want to lose that. they want to write them and they want to say what is going on. one of the ways we help them is to support [inaudible] init is true we need to be told what is going on. one of the first steps is to talk about it. it is right to be able to talk about that. thank you. >> any other questions? >> i have one. i understand you have children, correct? where are they? they are not in the states. >> my children are going to

school. they are in [unintelligible] no idea what is going on. it is not -- this is the problem for the other journalists. this is the problem which, if you want to leave the country, this is a completely different choice. if you want to decide to leave the country in any situation, you can try to handle any financial and get to a good country. how many countries, iranians can go there? it is less than 20. how you can feel the safety in the country also? it is kind of a pretty difficult

situation. you need to accept the reality. we're stopping in the h highway, -- the highway, just be careful with phone calls. it is difficult to say, it is not a choice. it is difficult to say the future, what will be happening. thank you all for coming here. [applause] thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

a thaw year's c-span student cam competition asks middle and high school students to create a five to eight-minute video dealing with one of our country's greatest strengths or a challenge the country is facing. here's one of the third-place winners. >> there are indications today that driving while texting may have played a factor in a deadly california train collision last month. >> officers say a teenager was

text messages when she crashed hold with another driver. both were killed. >> he pulled on it his cell phone and starts texting, but traffic up ahead is at a dead stop. you can't see, it but the driver of this san antonio bus speeding down the road clearly has something else occupying his attention. >> car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens. more than drugs. more than guns. it's car crashes. >> i put my hands over the steering wheel so i have my forearm, and i can see the road and see also the screen. >> yes, i text and drive.

i know it's a bad habit, but sometimes -- actually more than sometimes i do it. i drive with my knees. i know it's really bad, but i do it at stop lights more often. if i'm at a green light. >> i would say i send a text message maybe every other time i'm driving, at least once. and i've had entire conversations while driving. >> it's important to understand that when you're behind the wheel, all of your attention needs to be on the road. text messages and cell phone calls can wait until you've reached wherever you're going. >> try to imagine one single text message that's as important as losing your life over. >> i don't understand how important a text can be to the

safety of yourself and the safety of other drivers that are taking their precautions and safety on the road. text before you leave. text when you get there. but leave your cell phone off in the car. >> within morning i left for work, and while i was driving to work, i made a choice, i made a decision to text and drive. something that i had done before many times before this day. and on my way to work, i was sending and receiving text messages when i steered across the center line and i struck another car. in this other car there was two men who were both killed on impact.

two men that were fathers, were husbands, that cared for their family, wanted the best for them, and because of my choice to text and drive, i took their lives. i changed the lives of these families. i changed my life forever. and since then, it's been really hard for me. it's been something that i like to speak out about to help make people -- or help people so they don't make the same poor decision that i made. >> i think the lawyer has to be enacted to protect people from ourselves. i think we all say that we only do it occasionally. we only do it it when it's really necessary. but i think by the electronic nature of it, by the newer rocket nature of the urgency of the moment, we can make poor judgments to what's essential

to text when it's ok, and all it takes is a split second, so when misguided, bad things can happen. >> people still drink and drive. you know, up cops are actual on the prowl for people texting and driving, and there's an actual consequence of people that were risking other's safety on the road by texting, i think it would certainly cut down a little bit. >> i think it would stop people. i wouldn't do it if it's against the law. but it's really dangerous, and i know that, but there's, like, nothing to stop me. >> that's why i do it, so if there was a law, i think i wouldn't. it would stop a lot of people. >> there's nothing anyone can do to stop it, because you would have to think about going

to look at this, who's going to actually, like, be the people that are going to pull people over driving and tksing. >> how obvious people are driving and texting when you're driving along or something. >> definitely, i would stop or i wouldn't or i wouldn't have or i'd feel safer on the road if there was a law passed that says people can drive and not text, and it would make all the roads safer. i think people would definitely follow the law. if the consequences were harsh enough, i think that there should definitely be some incentive or disincentive to make sure people aren't texting while they're driving. >> british public service announcement was released a few months documenting the possible outcome that could occur from texting and driving. the p.s.a. has since been viewed more than six million times on youtube, but has not

been as widely distributed in the u.s. because of the graphic nature of the film. >> i think a lot of kids in my school are just like them. they think it won't happen to them, that it's not wrong and they're better because they hold the phone up and they're still looking at the road, but at some point they have to take their eyes off the road and look at their cell phone even to read the text message they're receiving. and our chapter has really focused on making that something that you shouldn't do, putting your phone away, trning it off, on silent, isn't lame. >> so i don't think i would get in an accident while texting and driving. however, i've already been scared, even more, just talking and driving. i think it would really -- it

would really scare me for a while. i think i'd maybe stop for a month or two, but after a while, i would just totally forget about it. >> i think that we need to find the wheel of the car, you are responsible for not only yourself driving, but for other people around you that are driving, and i mean, that's always the danger when you get into a car. i mean, it's a responsibility. it's not a right. people take it for granted. but i mean, take every precaution you can for safety. >> to see all of the winning entries in this year's student cam competition, visit studentcam.org. >> up next live, your calls and comments on today's "washington journal." after that, it's "newsmakers"

with indiana governor mitch daniels. and then first lady michelle obama to name her inaugural gown to the smithsonian institution. >> the minute that the wall street firms were in the business of harvesting middle class and lower middle class americans for their home equity value and making loans to them against it, there was a natural risk of abusmse >> tonight, michael lewis on the subprime mortgage crisis, his latest is "the big short." he's also the author of "liar's poker," the "new, new thing," "moneyball," and "the blind side." michael lewis at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span's "q&a." >> this morning we'll talk with the editor in chief and daily the editor in chief and daily caller reporter jonathan strong