Jarvis notes a USA Today story suggesting that Iraq be wired for Wi-Fi access, allowing it to leapfrog the wired stage entirely, and also suggests he himself is ready to help build a Baghdad weblog newspaper.
This is excellent stuff, and I’m all in favor. But what I really want to see happen — and, like, soon — is a 24-7, Arabic language news station coming out of Baghdad. I know, I know, television is soooo old media — but teevee is where we’re losing the meme war to the Islamists and Arab nationalists who want to paint America as Evil Oppressor.
Note the approach: I don’t favor shutting down Al Jazeera. I do favor countering its messages with the perspective of an Arab people recently liberated by American military power. It is my hope their perspective will be a positive one towards the U.S. — but that’s up to them.
Does anybody know if there is any money in the reconstruction budget for such a thing? And if not, why in the world not?
And hey, the station name is obvious: Baghdad Broadcasting Company. Heh.
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technology meets creativity in a disaster-prone world. confident enough to try; humble enough to learn.