War correspondents, Iraq war. Are there any?

[babylonsister]

I'm curious if there are any out there not affiliated with a news organization? It was more accepted in Viet Nam, but now we don't get an independent view. I realize the landscape precludes someone being independent, but how do we really know what's going on?

[mike_c]

1. Dahr Jamail is one of the best journalists in Iraq....

http://dahrjamailiraq.com/

[katinmn]

7. Seconded on Jamail.

[babylonsister]

2. So the answer is no, thus the lack of news.

[lonestarnot]

3. No the answer is not no... there is so much bombing, and blowing that they

are afraid to come out.

[mike_c]

4. did you check out Dahr Jamail's dispatches?

:shrug:

[babylonsister]

6. Thanks, Mike. I'll check out Dahr-

this is the guy that Pitt introduced a couple of nights ago, correct? But in the scheme of things, do you reckon he's the only one? That's sad... OTOH, I wouldn't want to be crawling around in the desert on my own.

[Doc Bottom]

5. Christian Parenti

His articles appear in The Nation. He's been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

He wrote a book about Iraq called The Freedom. Well worth reading.

[babylonsister]

8. Thanks, Doc. The Nation is a reputable

source, so I'll check that out as well. But WHY aren't their insights being reported? BTW, welcome to DU! :hi:

[Doc Bottom]

9. The why is kinda obvious

One of Parenti's earlier reports about Iraq ("A Rough Guide to Baghdad", I think it was called, it appearred in The Nation) he observed that Bechtel had appearantly taken a huge sum of reconstruction money and not done the work. He mentioned reconstruction contractors giving fresh coats of paint to Iraqi schools and calling them repaired when there was six inches of raw sewage on the floor inside, and not a desk to be found. He talked to an Iraqi water-treatment plant worker who said he knew how to repair the plant in short order but was sent home, jobless, while Bechtel sat on their asses 'waiting for parts.' Those plants still don't work, people are dying of cholera, nobody has a job, and people who were initially thrilled at Saddam's overthrow were joining the resistance.

This stuff got re-written a bit and appears in The Freedom. You can order it from the publisher http://www.thenewpress.com but asking a local bookstore to order it for you would be preferable, because they may order several copies and get this important book on the shelf.

Parenti's "Who Rules Afghanistan" report about the corruption of the Afghan elections and that country's continued status as a narcotics-mafia state was no doubt equally undesireable news.