No news day is complete without the latest installment of the unfolding horror of the disintegration of Iraq. Headlines proclaiming Iraq’s "bloodiest day" have long since lost their power to really shock. Politicians and pundits alike have endless opinions on how to deal with the crisis; however, the Internet is proving to be one of the main mediums through which ordinary Iraqis can make their voices heard.
From the Front Line
Hometown Baghdad is less a blog and more a vlog. The videos are short but informative; one shows Saif, a resident of Zayounal, attempting to barricade his house with barbed wire. Of course, the strains of living in a city like Baghdad are an ever-present theme but other videos look at more "normal" aspects of everyday life; for example, "Kiss and Tell" tells the dating stories of Saif, Adel, and Ausama. Although it is not overtly political, the crew behind the films couldn’t resist a comment on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the fall of Saddam:
When I was shooting one of the subjects as he packed his bag, I could feel my heart shivering. I even began feeling nervous behind the camera. How emotional the thought of packing is! I curse packing and I curse wars!”, (Ziad Turkey, Hometown Baghdad, April 9).
Iraqiya is the attempt of an Iraqi woman to provide a different perspective. It is written by a "typical Iraqi woman" who has "a bachelor's degree in English and works at one of the Iraqi Ministries." Her self-description rather belies her claim that she has "not benefited from the old regime nor the new one" but she surely reflects a lot of middle-class Iraqi opinion when she says that she “cannot deny the good things the US has done for the Iraqi people, but I think that the US should have done more to protect Iraqi people” (March 26).
A lot of Iraqi blogs reflect a growing feeling of despondency; the by-line for BlogIraq is "an Iraqi who used to have dreams." The author's “frustration, anger, and agony” (March 20) are unlikely to be uncommon feelings among Iraqis. At Worlds End puts it thus: “Where everything is messy, when people get sick of their life. That’s when the world ends.”
Article comments
1 - Josh Tull
How in the world did you miss "Alive in Baghdad" when you were writing this article? They have single handedly DEFINED web coverage of Iraq. They consistently get high caliber stories that mainstream T.V. wouldn't dream of showing.
They have a weekly vlog that they produce and won "Best Vlog" at the Vloggies last year.