It was interesting to read Dan Gillmor's comment about the degredation of news journalism (CNN) as it increasingly uses forms of media used to entertain rather than inform, and in so doing appears more propaganda than news. His comments seem right on.
But, ironically, last night I just watched the HBO Films movie Live From Baghdad, which depicts the true story of how CNN emerged from being an upstart cable news channel to being a powerhouse in world media by aggressively covering the first Gulf War. The journalism and production values of Robert Weiner and team were inspiring, and it's sad to see that contrast with the war mongering of contemporary CNN.
Aside from this, what was most striking about the HBO film was the realization that despite the incredible technological power that CNN and other networks bring to journalism, it wasn't technology at all that made the journalism work. Rather, it was a deep, personal connection between Robert Weiner and the Iraqi Minister of Information, Naji Al-Hadithi, where trust and concern of the devestation of war kept open lines of communication.
10:20:16 PM 
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