Joshua Livestro offers an entertaining piece in which he contends that (1) the “Western media” was a catalyst to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, therefore (2) it should now be playing a similar role in the Middle East, but (3) since the mainstream media is in bed with the dictators, it’s (4) now up to bloggers to help spread liberty and democracy abroad.
Uh, no. Last time I checked, journalists have the responsibility of simply reporting events. It’s not their job to promote political movements.
Moreover, there’s no small irony in Livestro’s criticism of how the mainstream media cavorts with the tyrants:
But we all know the MSM: they’ve never come across a dictator they didn’t like or at least want to be friendly with in return for “access” (access to what, by the way? The truth?).
Sounds a little like Washington D.C., doesn’t it?
As far as bloggers grabbing their notepads and heading to Beirut, it’s a nice idea. But for the most part, the only people with that degree of commitment who can afford to jaunt around the globe are already doing so, courtesy of the mainstream media.