See Jared Cohen's Profile

There is an important point that must be raised, which while I didn't mention in my blog, I believe is of the utmost importance. This current generation of young people, is the first to be brought up in a news and media environment in which information can be accessed from outlets and forums other than print media, television, and radio. Generation X is accustomed to getting information from Facebook feeds, blogs, You Tube, twitter, etc. It is interesting to speculate about how this will shape their opinions over time. They are overwhelmed and inundated with information on their phones, computers, and all the other usual places where people can get their news. This is a generation that seems to be immune from being overwhelmed with opinions, data, and feeds. Each individual is accountable for what they read and how it influences their opinions. With so much to read, watch, and listen to, more than ever, the information one chooses to believe or not believe is a choice. In this sense, news has gone from reporting of the facts to choosing which of the facts one wants to listen to. Those who are truly getting the news are the ones who make the choice to cross-reference sources and perspectives.

"The advent of digital media has democratized the debate and opened the third and largest front of the Arab-Israeli conflict: concerned citizens around the world armed with mobile phones and computers."

That stands out to me as a very true statement, but it needs to go deeper. Deeper in the realization that it's the accessibility of digital media, ways to digitally communicate, and most of all, internet access. That is one of the driving forces. About 10 years ago during the Kosovo/Serbia campaign, I was limited to IRC chats trying to get at information. Nothing is quite as surreal as chatting/debating with someone from the other side when they suddenly say the air raid sirens are blaring and they sign off. Later they come back, talk about what they saw and heard.

In this day and age, with the widespread accessibility of the internet, combined with digital goodies, more and more this is becoming a visible thing. Used to be news was just text on a page. Now, a photo will simply say it all. Or a short video.

There are other things to consider too. Alot of the "democratization" boils down to the fact that the "have nots" are now on more equal terms digitally with the "haves". And poor folks tend to relate more to the plight of a peoples than the rich. Then there's the "control" aspect, such as net neutrality, which the US is very much against.

You are upset that you can't control that information any longer. I also appreciate the slant geared towards criticizing the arab or iranian views as some how not as "intellectual". BS.

The flaw in this is one of assuming the "elite" the Dershowitz, and the Kissingers and the Clintons of the world are actually clued it. All in all, a widspread sense of what people think, know and feel is to be preffered to being spoonfed someone elses agenda, presented as the truth, solely because that person has the megaphone.

Bush, et al, were able to bamboozle the public so much as they did for precisely that reason.

I believe that there simply is no way to silence the message so people who would have routinely believed what they saw on the evening news have new avenues for finding out what they want to know about the conflict.

I was disturbed at the lack of reporting on the issue from the perspective of those living in Gaza and went in search of websites that would explain how they were feeling and coping with the terror since there was no shortage of rhetoric about the Israeli side on the mainstream media.

I found a number of excellent bloggers who were writting from the ground. One of those is Canadian activist Eva Bartlett who's blog relates to the medical side of the conflict. http://ingaza.wordpress.com Her posts from as far back as July 2008 speak to the effects the blockade has had on services.

Other blogs giving an on the ground commentary of what's happening in Gaza are:
http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/
http://gazatoday.blogspot.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/sameh.habeeb