Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: drpix

Well, there are two ways of looking at this. One is well represented here already.

The other is this. One of the key problems with the Arab/Muslim world is that for so long they have not had a free and open media. Despots and totalitarian regimes have always controlled information (and thus thought). Same in China. Was the same in the Soviet Union. This has quite obvious effects in how their culture collectively views and interacts with our own.

That whole populations are not just anti-American (and anti-West in general) but anti-Freedom as well should come as no surprise when they have never had anything resembling a decent media/news reporting apparatus (even though the benefits of living in a free and tolerant society are seemingly self-evident to us all).

It is obvious this culture needs a free and open media. It is equally obvious that to this point al Jazeera doesn't fit that billing. But one has to work with the cards one is dealt. Al Jazeera has pretty widespread viewership in the Muslim world. What needs to happen is al Jazeera needs to become more objective in its reporting of events.

Personally, I am confident that free market principles will (over time) force the network to tone down their anti-West attitude to at least the same level as the BBC and increase their objectivity to about the same level as CNN. Not ideal but worlds better than what we see now.

If this were to happen it would have a major impact on how the collective Muslim populations in the Middle East view the West, their place in the World and the future of their religion insofar as their acceptance of other religions and cultural practices goes.

Maybe this Marine has sold out and become sympathetic to the jihadists. But maybe he will also have an impact on this process in a positive way. I mean, they certainly couldn't get much worse.


55 posted on 09/29/2005 2:50:52 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Prodigal Son

Do you think Barry Goldwater's message could have survived the editors if he had opted to write for Pravda under the same reasoning?


59 posted on 09/29/2005 4:10:57 PM PDT by weegee (The lesson from New Orleans? Smart Growth kills. You can't evacuate dense populations easily.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson