One of those gotta reads

This is the environment in which local stringers operate, local stringers whom are the primary reporters used by the Western media, local stringers whose reporting must pass such hostile to the West muster before becoming our guidance, endorsed by Western editors whose own slanted politics are served while safely removed from realities on the ground.

Bashir Goth is a well-known MidEast journalist, whom the Washington Post’s David Ignatius asked to comment about, “How free are journalists in your country? Even where there isn't outright censorship, how much self-censorship goes on? How can journalists work together to protect each other and our common goal of open communications?”

The answer “Community Censorship Plagues the House of Islam,” is both eloquent and heartbreaking, at least for anyone who expects soon to find a strong “moderate” leadership or street in the MidEast, or reliable reporting from the MSM about the struggles in Iraq.

The entire piece is a gotta read.

In case you don’t have time or interest, here’s a telling quote:

Freedom of the press in the Muslim world cannot be separated from freedom of expression in general. Journalists, due to their conspicuous public role, risk their lives everyday. They have been targeted and killed in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan and other countries. The Muslim world is not a friendly place for freedom of speech at all.