Embedded reporting and news coverage

The work of a very dear friend of mine has recently grabbed the attention of some major news-sources in the United States.

Andrew is a friend from Penn State and is currently doing a PhD in Sociology with a focus on Media Studies. His work on embedded reporting is super-interesting and has recently been picked up by the Washington Post. [Scroll down a bit. The piece about his work is titled Embedded Reporters, Slanted Perspective?]

Andrew's main point is that embedded reporters employed during the current invasion in Iraq, have produced more stories about the lives of U.S. soldiers while "downplaying the effects of the invasion on the Iraqi people." Quite controversial point as you may have already guessed. Especially, given the wide perception among some people that American media leans towards the Left.

If you like to read more of his stuff, and I highly recommend you do, Andrew blogs at MediaOutrage and is one of those people who give me hope that perhaps American anti-intellectualism is nothing more than a media invention. All that being said, I don't think I could ever forgive him for bashing blogs in his very first entry...The whole 'I-hate-blogs-but-I-will-blog-anyway' thing just needs to stop. Seriously.

In my ideal world, people will forgive themselves for liking weblogs and focus on producing content instead.

Now go read. And tell him I sent you.