An editor at the Guardian alerts me to This is Zimbabwe, a pro-democracy blog in a nation run by a despot. I admire the courage of the people who are doing this.
They remind us all that liberty -- including press freedom, something we take for granted in our privileged corner of the world -- is not universal. It takes bravery to obtain, and hard work to maintain.
I am not so sure that our Press here (in the US) is a FREE as it should be. I am sure there are powers in our own country that "prevail" upon publishers to cease and desist or even to keep stories from appearing to start with. I find it interesting to have someone interviewed in the street who requests that his/her name not be used because he/she is afraid of being "investigated". This was an old NPR story that left me asking (naively) who could you be afraid of in this country.
Posted by: Walter | May 12, 2005 at 11:07 AM
The American press may be free, but it is very particular about what it will allow the public to know. Prior to the arrival of the internet, getting the news not reported was difficult. That's changed. Significant and verifiable stories censored by the media are now routinely discovered online, providing compelling proof that the Fourth Estate is anything but forthright.
Journalism in America is a profession in decline, done-in by dogmatic politics at the typewriter and disrespect for truth in the boardroom.
Posted by: Googlephile | May 13, 2005 at 12:08 AM
Dan, Thank you for supporting our blog and our work. We've been trying to track down people who have linked to us in the past to let them know that our blog has moved to a new url (easier for us to manage) and to ask if you'd mind updating your link. We're still going, but we're now at http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe.
Many thanks for your support. Sokwanele
Posted by: This is Zimbabwe | November 28, 2005 at 05:19 AM