The more the merrier

This intriguing event in the Philippines – an online political press conference – shows what can be achieved by fully utilising new technology to engage citizens in the electoral process. In Australia, politicians barely understand how to use the web, let alone write their own blog to keep in touch with constituents.

More options needed

A healthy democracy features a robust and diverse media. Australia is not that country, with close to 70% of newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. John Howard’s proposed “reforms” to foreign media ownership and regulation are, despite rhetoric suggesting otherwise, destined to lead to even further consolidation of the major players. Independent e-newsletter Crikey explains the…

What’s good for the goose…

The Jewish apartheid state reveals its true side (and unsurprisingly, Israeli-only roads are the subject): The masses of Israelis who regularly travel to Jerusalem via Modi’in are familiar with the large cement cubes near the signs that indicate the approach roads to the Palestinian villages on either side of the main road known as Highway…

Blair’s folly

John Kampfner, New Statesman, August 7: At a Downing Street reception not long ago, a guest had the temerity to ask Tony Blair: “How do you sleep at night, knowing that you’ve been responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis?” The Prime Minister is said to have retorted: “I think you’ll find it’s closer to…

A long congaline

What does John Howard think of former Labor leader Mark Latham? (The Australian media love to hate Latham, but this Age editorial is strange, to say the least. If the “traditional” Aussie bloke is disappearing, then the sooner the better.)

All deaths matter

The situation in Darfur is worsening by the day and yet the world community seems incapable or unwilling to act. First-hand accounts are truly shocking. But what of responsibility by the Bush administration? Their inaction is best explained by political expediency and oil exploration. After all, who really cares that black people are dying?

Stick to the issues

Former US President Bill Clinton has boasted to Fox News that he “got closer to killing him [Bin Laden] than anybody has gotten since. And if I were still president, we’d have more than 20,000 troops there trying to kill him.” Such a shame, therefore, that his words are largely irrelevant, hypocritical and many years…

Who would dare be against us?

An important lesson in how the Associated Press (AP) underplays insurgent violence directed at US troops in Iraq. Dahr Jamail explains: It is important to note that the board of directors of AP is composed of 22 newspaper and media executives that include the CEOs and presidents of ABC, McClatchy, Hearst, Tribune and the Washington…

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