Comments on: What I (largely) failed to say at the Al Jazeera conference http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/02/07/what-i-largely-failed-to-say-at-the-al-jazeera-conference/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeffrey J. http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/02/07/what-i-largely-failed-to-say-at-the-al-jazeera-conference/comment-page-1/#comment-90351 Jeffrey J. Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:17:48 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=365#comment-90351 When a nation is faced with undemoctratic false propaganda trying to impose its will on another (as reflected in current US foreign policy) the FIRST thing it must do is state the truth. Correct the message. Deny the propaganda. This is very, very important, espcecially when everyone else in the world is seeing only the US message. When the Arab media finally is permitted to speak out and correct the lies stated by the US, it is now told it is a "mirror" of the US. I'm sorry folks, but nothing could be further from the truth. While some may say they're tired of a conversation that begins to sound like "he said, she said", one must look to who has the power to change this diametric. 90% of that power resides in the US; 10% elsewhere. Congtatulations Al Jazeera for a job well done. When a nation is faced with undemoctratic false propaganda trying to impose its will on another (as reflected in current US foreign policy) the FIRST thing it must do is state the truth. Correct the message. Deny the propaganda. This is very, very important, espcecially when everyone else in the world is seeing only the US message. When the Arab media finally is permitted to speak out and correct the lies stated by the US, it is now told it is a “mirror” of the US. I’m sorry folks, but nothing could be further from the truth. While some may say they’re tired of a conversation that begins to sound like “he said, she said”, one must look to who has the power to change this diametric. 90% of that power resides in the US; 10% elsewhere.

Congtatulations Al Jazeera for a job well done.

]]> By: sean coon http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/02/07/what-i-largely-failed-to-say-at-the-al-jazeera-conference/comment-page-1/#comment-7322 sean coon Wed, 08 Feb 2006 04:07:08 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=365#comment-7322 maybe a current.tv / al-jazeera mashup? a world narrative formed by individuals, run by professionals and framed by global zeitgeists? so when's your start date? ;-) maybe a current.tv / al-jazeera mashup? a world narrative formed by individuals, run by professionals and framed by global zeitgeists?

so when’s your start date? ;-)

]]> By: Kate http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2006/02/07/what-i-largely-failed-to-say-at-the-al-jazeera-conference/comment-page-1/#comment-7318 Kate Wed, 08 Feb 2006 02:14:48 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=365#comment-7318 <i> I worry . . . that Arab media is shaping itself as a mirror to US journalism . . . .</i> This point came up in a class on 1920's talking-back-to-the-cannon novels last fall: that someone who resists a set of rules by diametrically opposing them — doing exactly what they say not to do — is still governed by that first set of rules. To oppose a system, you have to create a wholly new system, examine each piece of the old system and adopt it or throw it out or change it according to your own ideas. It's harder to build new than to negate what is there already. It may be harder for people to see what you're doing, as well. "I won't" may look more like resistence than "I will for different reasons" . (It's eerie, too, how much of the history I've learned from the turn of the last century replays at the turn of this one. Not all of it, thank God.) I worry . . . that Arab media is shaping itself as a mirror to US journalism . . . .

This point came up in a class on 1920′s talking-back-to-the-cannon novels last fall: that someone who resists a set of rules by diametrically opposing them — doing exactly what they say not to do — is still governed by that first set of rules. To oppose a system, you have to create a wholly new system, examine each piece of the old system and adopt it or throw it out or change it according to your own ideas.

It’s harder to build new than to negate what is there already. It may be harder for people to see what you’re doing, as well. “I won’t” may look more like resistence than “I will for different reasons” .

(It’s eerie, too, how much of the history I’ve learned from the turn of the last century replays at the turn of this one. Not all of it, thank God.)

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