CONVENTIONAL MEDIA VS. BLOGGING IN EGYPT

To be honest... I would be making a bigger difference in this world and in my immediate environment if I were just blogging. Why? because simply put here on my blog I don't have to abide by someone else's agenda. I don't know how much blunter I must be but blogging is independent in a way that conventional media is merely incapable of being. Even the so called privately owned. It's not a secret. Everyone has an agenda and it would be sheer stupidity by the public to assume otherwise. And the best thing about it is you can sense that type of awareness starting to spread in the Egyptian public. Awareness. You can smell it but it still hasn't cooked.

But, exactly like for the conventional media, for blogs and internet activism, as the old saying goes الحلال بين والحرام بين = 'What's right is obvious and what's wrong is obvious." If there's lying and bashing and random false info spread online, there's more in conventional media. And if there are people trying to recruit to fundamentalism or intolerance or spread congestions or trying to promote agendas or manifestos online, there are billions of dollars supporting that going to conventional media. And like change in policy is a reflection of social change, what happens on the web only reflects the random impulsive chaotic state of Egyptian media.

The same rules supposedly governing press and television do in essence, or must govern the internet, but in a different manner of application. These principles apply a personal responsibility approach. If bloggers decide to attempt reporting news and not provide opinion they must be allowed to. And if they want to be commentators or advocate certain causes and ideas again they must be allowed to. And the only way this dilemma of information gushing back and forth across the web in a 'Huxley-an' manner, is to be aware of the amount of fallacies out there. At the same time any attempt by authorities to implement a 'truth filter' would present a grave mistake and blow to development.

The government must provide the balance. The anchor. Romannet El Mezan. But since the government's state is even worse than the media's I guess there are still many gaps to be filled. So I won't preach and say "everyone of us must do their part" and all this crap that has proved a failure in application - But at least the next time someone tries to feed you crap refuse to taste it. I am amazed by how much I missed blogging. So many things deserve so much attention from all of us and unfortunately conventional media, either private or government remains hesitant to take the remaining steps necessary between presenting a quasi truthful point of view and inspiring real social action.