AFTER THE WAR Liberation Online: A look at Iraq's bloggers.

Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal ^ | October 21, 2004 | Bruce Chapman

[MShanya]

AFTER THE WAR Liberation Online: A look at Iraq's bloggers.

BY BRUCE CHAPMAN Thursday, October 21, 2004 12:01 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq--Basking in the sun by the Al Hamra Hotel swimming pool, a Spanish journalist complained to me that "all my editors want is blood, blood, blood. No context. No politics."

Such editors are cruising to be scooped by such local Iraqi blogs as Iraq the Model, which last summer debunked a Los Angeles Times story on the departure of Coalition Provisional Authority head L. Paul Bremer. The Times told its readers that Bremer had fled abruptly, "afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year." In fact, as Iraq the Model reported, Mr. Bremer before leaving delivered a television address that gave a moving account of his tenure and his hopes for the new all-Iraqi interim government.

The bloggers had heard it, the L.A. Times reporter had not. The paper ultimately had to correct its account, though never acknowledging the indignant Iraqis who caught its snide oversight.

Meet one of those bloggers, Ali Fadhil, a key author of Iraq the Model, perhaps the best known of the blogs, with 7,000 individual visitors a day. Thirty-four years old, a Sunni, Fadhil is a cheerful Baghdad doctor who contributes news and commentary.

[MShanya]

Good piece on media in/on Iraq --Iraqi bloggers reporting more than foreign correspondents.

[Redbob]

Good job screwing around with the title of this piece!

Now when somone does a search on "Liberation On-Line" they'll come up empty and not know you've already posted it.

Hint: doing this is a no-no.

[HawaiianGecko]

 

	You think he means Iraqi FORUM?

[Admin Moderator]

Please include original titles.
Thanks.

[Jaded]

mark

[The Hollywood Conservative]

Iraq has BLOGGERS??? 2 years ago they couldn't legally have satelite television....

[St. Johann Tetzel]

Don't jump threads - If you get involved in an argument in one thread, it's considered poor manners to restart the previous argument in the middle of an unrelated thread.

[tinamina]

The blog is located here I have been reading these 3 wonderful brothers since lastNovemember. They love theirfreedom and want to be in on the political system.

[liberty2004]

Great article. I go to ITM a few times a week. It is a great site, very pro American. You get a great feel for the Iraqi street. The three guys who run it really are good writers.

[WOSG]

PING - my own Liberating Iraq blog:

http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com

[TexasCajun]

Welcome, nice find!

[rocksblues]

I agree with you Redbob. I hate to reread the same article because someone wants to increase their visibility.