Chris hedges AND george Monbiot ON THE IGNORANcE - ColdType

Beating the
western drum
other voices
blogging gives a voice to citizens around the world, but why do
their views often go unheard in the west? asks Antony lowenstein
During the recent war between
Georgia and Russia, bloggers on
both sides of the conflict provided
searing accounts of atrocities
and manoeuvres unseen by western
journalists. In a country such as Russia
the space for alternative and critical views
are rare. The war showed an authoritarian
regime’s narrative being challenged by
a handful of insiders and outsiders. The
government-run media looked staid by
comparison.
This was merely the latest example of
bloggers beating mainstream journalists at
their own game. Online media have exploded
in western nations, challenging decadesold
business models and forcing reporters
to answer questions about their methods
and sources. But in repressive states, blogs
and websites have become essential sources
of information on topics – from women’s
issues to sexual orientation, dating rituals
to human rights – routinely shunned by
channels for official propaganda.
These openings for citizens in the nonwestern
world to be heard are far more empowering
than the equivalent outlets in our
own societies. But how often do we hear
these voices in the west?
September 11, for example, should have
been the perfect opportunity for the western
media to listen to the grievances of the
Muslim world. Alas, with notable excep-
tions, indigenous voices were excluded
then and still remain largely absent from
the pages of the world’s leading papers. It
is as if only a western journalist’s filter can
validate such perspectives.
hearing local voices
In 2007 I travelled to Iran, Egypt, Syria,
Saudi Arabia, Cuba and China to speak to
dissidents, bloggers, writers, politicians and
ordinary citizens about how the internet is
changing their countries. I wanted to gauge
their interests, desires, frustrations and attitudes
towards each other and the west.
My new book, The Blogging Revolution, is a
chance for these local voices to reveal how
the web has democratised their minds – although
it also reflects the fact that the vast
majority of global netizens prefer online
dating and downloading pirated films and
music to challenging political orthodoxy.
Also addressed is whether multinationals
such as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and
Cisco have played a part in assisting net filtering
and censorship in China, Cuba and
the Middle East. On the eve of the Beijing
Olympic Games, Naomi Klein wrote that
western firms were essential in “authoritarian
communism – central planning,
merciless repression, constant surveillance
– harnessed to advance the goals of global
capitalism.”
How much do we know about Yahoo’s
on the eve of the
beijing olympic
games, naomi
klein wrote that
western firms
were essential
in “authoritarian
communism –
central planning,
merciless
repression,
constant
surveillance –
harnessed to
advance the
goals of global
capitalism.”
November 2008 | thereader 43