Yet another example of the disaster which is the Bush administration's approach to the Arab media: "The head of a U.S.-funded Iraqi newspaper quit and said Monday he was taking almost his entire staff with him because of American interference in the publication. On a front-page editorial of the Al-Sabah newspaper, editor-in-chief Ismail Zayer said he and his staff were ''celebrating the end of a nightmare we have suffered from for months ... We want independence. They (the Americans) refuse.'' Al-Sabah was set up by U.S. officials with funding from the Pentagon soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein last year. Since its first issue in July, many Iraqis have considered it the mouthpiece of the U.S.-led coalition, along with the U.S.-funded television station Al-Iraqiya."
What can an aardvark say here that Zayer didn't say better? Media independence and controlling the media just don't mix. Americans really shouldn't need Iraqis to explain the basics of press freedom to us.
It stinks, aardvark.
Posted by: No Preference | May 04, 2004 at 03:53 PM
Oops, my mistake. The previous post was intended for the "Arab journalists in Washington" thread.
Posted by: No Preference | May 04, 2004 at 04:12 PM
oh, that's ok. it all stinks!
Posted by: the aardvark | May 04, 2004 at 04:30 PM