-
Reporting from Musa Qala
My friend Stephen, who really should be at home writing a book or in comfortable semi-retirement, is actually here: As the only journalist to join NATO forces entering the town, I found it a ghost town abandoned by both the Taliban and its residents at the end of an eight-day coalition operation. The offensive was…
-
How journalism could save the CIA…
Journalism sounds worthy and old-fashioned. But relabel it Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and it holds a new fascination for governments. There’s an excellent report (available here) by Richard A.Best Jr and Alfred Cumming, about how intelligence agencies over-value secret intelligence and sometimes miss OSINT – or what journalists would call “the bleedin’ obvious.” But the…
-
The new rules of journalism: Gawker style
I love this job ad from Gawker, detailing what it means by journalism: Blogs such as Gawker won’t be running 5,000-word-long features any time soon, nor giving writers weeks to investigate. But the web—other blogs, search engines and social network sites—increasingly rewards original items. So we’re looking for an additional reporter for the team. At…
-
Al Jazeera’s return to Saudi Arabia
Back in October, I pointed to this post, suggesting that the following deal might be under way between KSA and Qatar: Saudi Arabia would return its ambassador to Qatar. There has been no Saudi envoy in Doha since he was recalled in 2002. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz would attend the Gulf Cooperation Council…