In his latest column, Ralph Peters wrote that some Iraqi stringers mislead foreign journalists into thinking that Iraq is in worse shape than it actually is. I think that’s a serious concern, and mainstream news organizations should address whether and to what extent it is happening. Nevertheless, the Iraqi stringers who contribute to NBC’s remarkable “Blogging Baghdad” sound fearful, but also far more optimistic about Iraq’s future than the average MSM journalist. Certainly these stringers might be in the minority, but they do provide some examples contrary to Peters’ thesis. Here’s one example that was posted today:
When I arrived at the office, I sat down at my desk. The office looked quiet. Everything was normal, and I started to check my e-mail. Half an hour later I received a phone call from one our sources in the Iraqi police telling me that they had found over 70 bodies