New Media and Technologies

I was the ART studio over the weekend and I met a number of people being interviewed for "What's Happening" the show about young Arab Americans and issues that concern them. I was glad to see the different things people are doing in their feild, I met blogger, journalists, humanitarians, photographers, directors, hosts and yes good looking people too.

Now, the news read about possible war crimes trial for Israeli generals for atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip during the latest Israeli adventure into the Strip. I pray those ones go through; stories of children bleeding to death and not being able to get an ambulance to move them are many. Thanks to the internet, few courageous journalists and few good men, such abuses will not go unnoticed.

I think the best allies of the Palestinian people is two things new technologies that allows for phones to have cameras on them to better document Israeli abuses. Also the democratization of the media through blogs and various new media. No longer do people have to wait for editors to tell us the news, anyone now can find stories about whatever part of the world they want to learn about. As someone said, "If the Israelis say it is sunny outside, and the Palestinians say it is rainy, you need to just look outside" That's exactly what the new media does. Israel can no longer hide behind the veil of ignorance and control rooms.

That's why the reports I read about the Israeli government's efforts to hire blogger who speak foreign languages to get their message out. Indeed, hours after they announced the positions, they have received a number of applicants who want to be part of yet another government agency to spread misinformation. But the harder the push the more alienated we and others will get...no longer do people like to be spoon fed or have a big brother telling them what to do.