Underscoring the Importance of Blogging

Here's a great article from mediachannel.org, a site which keeps an eye on the news media using a decidedly progressive approach.

The article underscores the temerity of the mainstream media, and gives credence to the notion that blogging may be what saves journalism.

Below is a recent email from CBS reporter Lara Logan to family and friends in which she asks for help in passing along a version of events in Iraq's Green Zone deemed too graphic by CBS for its audience. CBS posted Logan's video to its website, but did not run it on air.

Conservative bloggers have called Logan a dupe, claiming she was simply doing the dirty work for an al-Qaeda operative. The video resembles video distributed by a terrorist group called The Islamic State of Iraq.

CBS says it doesn't identify the person who supplies a piece of video when revealing that person's identity would endanger the person's life.

The controversy underscores the fact that the mainstream media are not giving us an honest portrayal of the war:


From: lara logan, cbs news baghdad
Subject: help

The story below only appeared on our CBS website and was not aired on CBS. It is a story that is largely being ignored, even though this is taking place every single day in central Baghdad, two blocks from where our office is located.

Our crew had to be pulled out because we got a call saying they were about to be killed, and on their way out, a civilian man was shot dead in front of them as they ran.

I would be very grateful if any of you have a chance to watch this story and pass the link on to as many people you know as possible. It should be seen. And people should know about this.

If anyone has time to send a comment to CBS – about the story – not about my request, then that would help highlight that people are interested and this is not too gruesome to air, but rather too important to ignore.

Many, many thanks. Lara.

Watch the video that did air on CBS. What's your reaction?