Citizen Journalism and Afghanistan

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A big term that's been used a lot lately in the local blogosphere is citizen journalism. Put simply, it just refers to the idea that we don't necessarily need to "wait" for monolithic news entities to tell us what's going on -- by using things like Twitter and blogs, we can pass and receive real-time information about things like, say, a bank robbery on Gorham St. or a fire down Highland St.

The War on Terror (or, sorry Cliff, I should've said 'The Really Long Contingency Operation in the CENTCOM AOR') should be no different.

Rather than just blame the media for giving us a bum rap, it's a great idea for military people to get out there and tell their story (to the degree that security and other considerations will allow, that is).

That's why it's great to see people like Retired Capt. Mullaney writing books and going on the talk shows and telling their stories and the stories of their guys -- it's not the obnoxious flag-waving and the I'm-more-American-than-you Sean Hannity-style of idiocy, but it's also not the equally obnoxious Rosie O'Donnell look-how-many-convicts-are-in-the-ranks idiocy either.

I hope more citizen journalism like this makes its way into the debate in the near future -- the punditry shouldn't just be limited to egghead intellectuals and high-volume commentators who use bombast and certitude to make up for the gaps in their knowledge and experience.