My friend Jonar Nader, the author of the frightening novel Z, told me that despite 24-hour news channels, there are still around seven stories that go around the world. I have yet to see an American news channel cover, for example, the problems going on in Nepal and Maoists there saying they could execute the king. A check of Technorati indicates that the biggest story today is Vice-President Dick Cheney shooting his hunting partner. Conclusion: people are no better informed now than at any other time in history.
   It’s tempting to hop on the bandwagon. I got annoyed with the Muslim cartoon affair and blogged three times about it. This gave me a lot of hits, more than the Beyond Branding Blog from which this one grew. And I can imagine what other bloggers might think in those shoes: blogging about current affairs and complementing the mainstream media will get me hits. I will continue—because as a blogger, I would like to be heard. I’ll cover their stories ahead of mine.
   Dick Cheney accidentally shooting a guy is about as interesting as Fred Smith accidentally shooting a guy. I’ve only mentioned it by way of example, and yes, I’ve linked it so I can get a few extra hits. But it is not the focus of this blog. It’s not the story that interests me beyond this example—other than a joke I cracked a couple of days ago about the President’s desire for tort reform beginning with shooting lawyers. It’s a start.
   As bloggers, I believe we should uncover our own stories, as at OhmyNews.com. The world is more interesting if we report on the things that we are passionate about. Trade journals and specialist magazines exist for that reason; and if there are conspiracies behind governments and mainstream media—the Muslim cartoon affair indicated there certainly is meddling and that the reasons officially advanced on both sides are probably untrue—then we would do well to not fall into their trap.
   So, really, what stories are interesting today? We are all important, as are our voices and what impacts on each of us. One of the best finds for me this month is Jeff Risley’s blog—because he writes from the heart. Our spirituality, our beliefs and our lives are, in my view, as deserving (if not more deserving) of coverage on our respective blogs as some guy who, this time around, was a bad shot. Posted by Jack Yan, 12:30  permalink

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