“I am an Iraqi journalist”

“Alia Amer defends her calling as a service to the Iraqi people – and asks herself every day if the sacrifices they are being asked to make are worth it” in a compelling article for Open Democracy. Is she correct in her criticism of media coverage?

And: “Iraqi Blogger Criticizes Western Media For Excluding Iraqi Voice”: “In the States I met staff for the Senators, different staff. And I talk with them about Iraq and what is happening in Iraq these two years, and I discovered that they knew nothing about Iraq.”

– From an interview with Faiza Jarrar on Democracy Now!‘s June 29 show. Jarrar’s blog is afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com. Her son Raed’s blog is RaedInTheMiddle. More below:

… [E]very day when you see on the media all over the world and inside the state or outside the state, it is always the bombing cars and the occupation force standing away and President Bush giving a speech or justification for staying in Iraq. And nobody cares about Iraqi people. Where’s the Iraqi people? There are more than 25 million population. Who will go to ask them: What is your attitude about this war? What is your future? What is your plan to live? What is your plan for the future of your kids? Nobody will take care about Iraqis or come to ask one of us. The media is working outside of Iraq, and this is a very dangerous situation …

Interview with Faiza Jarrar on June 29, 2005, Democracy Now!.