Saturday, August 07, 2004 Democratic ideals are clearly sweeping through Iraq The Iraqi interim government has decided to ban Al-Jazeera for 'inciting violence.' In a country with private militias and countless active terrorist cells -- forget about standard crime rates -- you'd think there wasn't much violence left for Al-Jazeera to incite. The International Herald Tribune says it best:
Baghdad and Washington would do well to stop exaggerating the impact of Arab satellite television and disabuse themselves of the notion that by browbeating media organizations they will win more favorable coverage. They should not underestimate Arab viewers, many of whom, accustomed to years of filtered news and state propaganda, have a keen ability to discern what's credible and what's not. Al Jazeera and others do not lead public opinion so much as reflect it... engage not bully, and compete with rather than censor the media with which they disagree. Leave the rest to the viewers.
We don't ban equally partisan media in the United States, do we really have so low an opinion of Iraqis that we feel they are less able to deal with Al-Jazeera than Americans do with Rush Limbaugh or Fox?
Posted by Nikhil,
10:48 AM
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Tuesday, August 03, 2004 Secret Love Affair? Why does the GOP's front page have 4 images of Kerry and none of George Bush? Hasn't the President done anything worth publicizing?
Posted by Nikhil,
10:33 PM
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Dean Likes Fudgsicles, Too!
DFP 4.19 is now on-line. So much content! Read Bellows on the genocide in Sudan, Crumbine on what it's like ot be a delegate in the DNC, Carey on how Dean is even cooler in person, Hendler on the Israeli refuser, Krumminga on the shit-show that is Guantanamo, Anderson on Bread & Puppet, Zhong on the lameness of the CAA, Barakat Jassem with a personal perspective on the war, Price on summer incest, Ricci with more fantastic music reviews, and Cazares on what Cosby might think about the art exhibit in the Hood. Also, learn why it's a stunningly bad idea making your ex-humorist write editorials.
