-Caveat Lector- Computers and digital communications were too few and far between in Yugoslavia for the strife in Kosovo to have been a real Internet war. But one of the most striking things about the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York was the outpouring of outstanding Internet coverage from ordinary citizens. The terrorist strikes prompted an avalanche of personal accounts, photographs and videos of the terrible events from people on the ground. And not only was citizen-produced coverage sometimes more accessible than professional news organizations, it was often more compelling. Amateur videos of the events posted on the Net are full of heart-wrenching expressions of shock, fear and disbelief. Even if the soundtrack is just a string of expletives, it's an emotional response that carries the story home. And while there were many powerful photographs of the tragedy taken by both professional and amateur photographers, some of the most intimate and unexpected shots came from outside the community of professionals. Compare, for example, the clichéd photo of three firemen raising a flag against a disturbing shot of a dazed elderly man emerging from the dust. Of course, a lot of these "amateurs" aren't amateurs at all. They are among New York's creative or media professionals ?- photographers, designers and writers. Written accounts of the terrorist strikes and their aftermath also provided an intimacy that many news reports lacked. Take, for example, an account from Usman Farman, a Muslim who fell to the ground as one of the towers collapsed. "I was on my back, facing this massive cloud that was approaching, it must have been 600 feet off, everything was already dark," Farman wrote. "I normally wear a pendant around my neck, inscribed with an Arabic prayer for safety; similar to the cross. A Hasidic Jewish man came up to me and held the pendant in his hand, and looked at it. He read the Arabic out loud for a second. "What he said next, I will never forget. With a deep Brooklyn accent he said, 'Brother, if you don't mind, there is a cloud of glass coming at us, grab my hand, let's get the hell out of here.' He helped me stand up, and we ran for what seemed like forever without looking back." Most of the amateur content would be inaccessible, or at least hard to find, if not for many of the Web's outstanding weblogs, which function as "portals" to personal content. Some higher-profile weblogs, Slashdot, Metafilter, Scripting News, Kottke and SiliconValley.com, have done an excellent job of helping funnel traffic to smaller sites, many of which have pictures, accounts, opinions and ideas superior to anything found in the mainstream media. And while The New York Times, the old, gray lady, was full of bloodthirsty war-mongering, ordinary citizens gathered online to present a wide range of opinions. Depending on where you looked, there were measured calls for restraint, investigation and thought before action. Of course, there was also plenty of bloodlust, chest-thumping and stupidity, but online there was at least a debate. "Now we're about to get deeply involved in some nasty, subtle, dangerous politics, and the public doesn't even know who the players are," wrote Eric Kidd to Scripting News' mail page. "The press ought to stop poking people's wounds and start educating the American public before we encourage our leaders to do something stupid." http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,46862,00.html <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
