Neil Arun didn’t want to miss a rare but risky opportunity to embed with an Iraqi police unit, hunting members of al Qaeda. But his employers -- responsible for Neil’s security -- weren’t happy. This film by Richard Pendry nvestigates how a frontline journalist balances risk and reward.
Oh dear, you know this blog is going to be on either tea or Twitter. Today it's the latter, although I do suggest making yourself a cup right now.
For those of you who aren't going to pub golf tonight tune in (or should I say log on?) to Radio 4 at 8.30pm. It's an analysis on our "Google generation". Yes, they're looking at the stereotype of young people who are addicted to the internet. So much so that they are "unable to think, study and concentrate" apparently.
At the same time Good Radio Club are doing an experiment using Twitter! Have a read.
I think it might be an interesting listen or look later.
And can I just clarify that I'm not obsessed with tea or Twitter...
There's a new book out on a similar theme called Cyburbia: The Dangerous Idea That's Changing How We Live and Who We Are. The author, James Harkin, outlines his ideas on the guardian website.
More broadly, though, is this age of mass, online media eroding our culture? That's what The Cult of the Amateur by Andrew Keen claims, but I was unconvinced by it. Granted, the profit models of more traditional media have been put at risk, even made obsolete in some cases, by the internet, but that doesn't mean our cultural values change. People still want accuracy and depth of analysis in their news, they're just getting more and more online for free. The massive traffic on newspaper's sites attests to that.
I don't know what I make of all this, but you're right to say that the idea that yound people are "unable to think, study and concentrate" is a stereotype. I've yet to see any evidence of such a claim. Sounds like the same old "video games make kids violent" reactionary cant to me.