Frontline Blogger Covers War in Iraq With a Soldier's Eyes

I found this article relevant to the issue of free flow information that we discussed day 1 of class. Also, i think that it relates to agenda setting and the influence of media on public discourse. It tells the story of soldier, Michael Yan, and his transition into the journalistic world through the method of blogging. I thought this a good example of an alternative news source although i stumbled across it while browsing a mainstream media source, so how effective it would be without the mainstream connection i do not know? Regardless, it was fascinating to discover that anyone can be a journalist if they have an interest in the subject, and a story to tell. I encourage you to look at the 2nd link, which is the soldier's website initiated and run by him. He seems to write without reservation, and does not hesitate to depict, with oral language and visual image, the true situation of the Iraq War. I think it is a relief that there are still sources of information and news material in the world that are initiated by individuals who have no goal other than to inform the public of current situations. The negativity of his popularity gained through mainstream media sources is now his work has become a source of profitable income, and a market has been created to try and sell his written thoughts and photo images. Still, i think that the initial plan of an open blog about the Iraq war was a good one.