TFF Shows the Potential of Internet News
an article by Jim Sargent

I received an email yesterday, 3/13, from TFF - The Transnational Forum for Peace and Future Research, a volunteer group based in Sweden. These brief messages that come to me via TFF’s PRESSINFO alert me to significant peace-related events that occur globally. This one was particularly interesting. On Thursday morning a prominent writer for TFF had just released an article on its website and also in the International Herald Tribune about a political aspect of the Basque controversy in Spain in which he alleged incompetence by the Spanish government. It couldn’t have come at a poorer time -the terrorist bombings in Madrid occurred later that day, and members of the Basque ETA are highly suspect. But the notice was not about the article or the bombings, but about a response in IHT by Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Palacio, sharply criticizing its content.

I am certainly unqualified to judge the correctness of either article. Obviously, both writers were expressing strongly entrenched feelings. What is commendable, though, and worthy of our attention is that an organization with clearly stated views is willing to alert its readers (and, in fact, offer a direct link to the appropriate article) of an opposing opinion.

A word about TFF (a biased opinion? Of course, but you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t, too): I find the site to be fascinating. Here is a source that offers information that has not passed through the filter marked "for American use only". Some of the pieces at TFF object, and rightly so, to our view of peace; it keeps reminding me that there’s a lot happening out there that the US media never mentions; it’s a good tool for learning some of the basics of Gandhian philosophy, nonviolence and reconciliation; it offers links to hundreds of newspapers and magazines throughout the world. But, best of all, it offers the program called PRESSINFO.

Is some of its reporting overly biased? I can only speak for myself, I’ve never found that to be so but, frankly, I simply don’t know. But based on yesterday’s email the site clearly deserves an A+ for ethics. I suggest that, if you haven’t done so already, you take a look at it. It is at www.transnational.org

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Thanks for the post, curiousdwk. I think you've put your finger on one of the key issues of internet organizing - and certainly one of the most important issues for CPNN.

For a while now, the moderators and peace promoters have been discussing how to increase the scope of CPNN and how to retain visitors and get them involved (whether it be writing an article or posting a quick one-sentence response). The consensus so far has been 1.) that we need to re-think the structure of CPNN, making it more accessible and more empowering and 2.) that we need to increase our outreach to diverse groups and individuals.

Of course, how we go about this is the hard part. But, the cool thing about CPNN is that it's participatory, empowering, critical, optimistic, and all that good stuff. Most of the people I talk with about news media feel cheated and disempowered by mainstream reporting.. . ...more.

This report was posted on March 16, 2004. The moderator is CPNN Coordinator.

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