A former Special Forces fighter tells the true stories of soldiers in Iraq. He is not a journalist, but a citizen who thinks that the American people should know what really goes on in Iraq.
Michael Yon was a soldier in Iraq more than two decades ago and wrote what he saw there. He writes on his blog what politicians fail to address the nation today. Politicians and media focus on the negatives in Iraq, while Yon focus on the accomplishments the soldiers have made over the years.
Yon has stated, "The easiest thing in the world to write about is combat, because all the drama is there." That may be true since people do like drama.
Mr. Yon does not know all the rules of journalism, but he thinks of himself as a journalist. Some of his photographs have been published in magazines, but all of his work is published on his blog.
I believe that Yon is a journalist, eventhough he is not with a newspaper or magazine company. He is a journalist in the eyes of his readers. Anyone can be labeled a journalist and not be part of a major company in the media. Today, all a person needs is a computer and a camera to post their views of any subject within the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/business/21iraqblogger.html?ref=media
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4 comments:
I think that it is great that this man can help soldiers get their stories out to the world. We have so many people fighting for our country in Iraq, and it is like you said, we only hear about the negative things.
With this man putting the positive stories of these soldiers online, I think it could help our country feel a little bit better about this never-ending war.
It is wonderful that Yon has his blog reporting the positive stories of the ongoings in Iraq. All I ever hear in the media is the negative and see the majority of people around me believing it. But one of my friends came back last year from Iraq as a solider and recently went back oversees. He told me some of what it's like over their and what the soldiers are thinking of the war and it's not as negative sounding as many make it out to be.
If there is one way to become an affective reporter, it is to have a first hand experience in the story.
I also think Yon's reporting would be the least politcally influenced opinion; therefore, his blog is most likely the best, unbiased account of the war to date.
It is a refreshing thing to see how passion derives truth. I hope he continues to allow us a look into the war through a soldiers eyes.
Its very true, anyone can be a journalist and this man could very well be considered one.
He obviously recieved recognition for his work. It also seems like he has touched peoples lives with his work. Its great to see someone take such a passionate interest in these soldiers stories.
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