Alas, President Obama comes to the rescue again and draws attention back to the country by a "formation of a new American strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan." Although this has brought the light back to the country in terms of media coverage, another significant source of attention was brought back to the country through an article in Time magazine called " The War Up Close." This article offers coverage for what sees to be a forgotten "problem" in the Middle East.
But what does this mean for journalists? Just as in Iraq there are many problems concerning the safety of journalists while reporting over seas. The less than friendly terrain and climate, combined with the threat of kidnapping makes reporting in these countries much more difficult.
I find it extremely brave that the U.S is finally giving an issue such as Afghanistan a more in depth look once again. Although it does not seem that anything bloody, or war like is going on, that might only be because there had been no major and in depth coverage of what is going on in a close up everyday setting.
Although this might not be a topic that sky rockets ratings, it is something that every American whether in support of the war or not needs to be informed about. The Afghanistan situation is " a vitally important story that will shape our history for years to come," said Rick Kaplan with CBS news.
You're right. I believe I saw a chart somewhere about the most dangerous countries for journalists to travel to and Iraq was at number one with about 5 times as many reporter deaths as the number 2 country, which might have been Afghanistan if I'm not mistaken. I just hope our troops don't have to stay over there too long, because I don't want us to end up like Russia/the Soviet Union. It's not going to do anything but drain our economy, drain our resources, and kill more of our soldiers. What happens when a real threat arises and we're too drained to properly defend ourselves? Hopefully Obama will make the right decisions.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't changing anything in the middle east. The entire region has been at war since biblical times, so let them fight and bring our troops home.
ReplyDeleteAs for Iraq vs. Afghanistan, Afghanistan has been the host of some of the bloodiest battles of our time, but it's not Iraq (the second most unpopular war the US has ever been involved in) where all media attention is focused, so many citizens don't know anything about them.
I'm not suprised that Iraq is a dangerous place for journalists to travel. I wouldn't want to travel over there just t get a story. you have to have a lot of courage to go over there for a atory you are trying to write. I think the war should stop. Not only soldiers are dying or putting them in a dangerous position but also journalists.
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