After a recent speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, President Bush was asked a very interesting question by a woman in the audience. Her husband, a military broadcast journalist, had come back from the war with positive footage of the rebuilding of Iraq but they were concerned with how the major media stations in the US were only reporting on the negative aspects of the war. She asked the President how people could get the words out about the positive occurrences in the Middle East. His answer was simple—the Internet and blogs.
My husband has been deployed to the Middle East twice during our marriage. As any wife would be, I am always concerned for his safety and turn to the news to keep up to date with what is happening on the other side of the globe. I am also able to keep in contact with my husband via emails and it didn’t take long before I noticed the reports I was getting on TV didn’t always jive with what my husband was relaying to me. Sometimes what was on the television grossly exaggerated the facts while other times they seemed to downplay the truth.
So why the discrepancies between what’s true and what makes the six o’clock news? I believe it’s the same driving force that is behind what most shows on TV are subject to: ratings.
These days the news is more sensational than ever before with its catchy headlines, scrolling news flashes and symphony-like theme music. It’s all designed to keep us glued to our television sets with promises of the next big update—and it works! More than once, after tuning in to a major news channel, I’ve found myself concerned that I was in need of a twelve step program in order to get the CNN monkey off my back. So how can we, as citizens simply trying to get the facts without the political slants or hype, get the facts? Do as the President suggests and seek out the news from the people making it.
Military blogs, also known as millblogs, have sprung into existence by the thousands during the war in Iraq. Written by soldiers in the thick of it, these online diaries serve as windows into the everyday lives of these brave troops. While many have been shut down due to the belief they gave out too much information, some can still be found online and give civilians at home an eyewitness account of the happenings in Iraq.
Some to check out are:
The Mudville Gazette – Home of the millblogs and updated news on the war in Iraq.
My Vacation in Iraq – An online diary from a soldier who served in Iraq. He’s home now (thank God!) but you can read the archives for daily accounts from the Middle East.
Iraq Pictures– Just as the name suggests…pictures from Iraq.