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Guest Columnists : What could go wrong in a war with Iraq - Steve Chapman, TownHall.com Your Retirement - Full of Golden Years or Golden Arches? - Daniel Lamaute Americans enjoy more freedom today than ever - Jonah Goldberg, TownHall.com What is the Deal? Do you need to buy a birthday, anniversary or holiday gift? Visit the Galleria! November 24, 2002 What is the deal with Journalists? By Jan A. Larson Do you realize that 99.9% of the information you received from television, radio and newspapers is written, produced, edited and presented by journalists? Save for the occasional “expert” guest on television news programs or guest columnist in your local newspaper, virtually everything we hear about our communities, states, nation and world is spoon fed to us by journalists. Why should such a small segment of the population be entrusted with disseminating all the news and information? It is often said that there is a liberal bias in the media. Is there a “vast left-wing conspiracy” among journalists? How do we really know what is going on if all we hear is a single message? Heaven forbid that the journalists are in cahoots with the politicians. Fortunately, a technological breakthrough in the last decade has precluded the journalists and politicians from controlling our minds and ruling our world. That breakthrough is, of course, the Internet. If you’re reading this, it is very likely that you’re reading it from a web page, hopefully from my website, the Pie of Knowledge. The Internet has made it possible for non-journalists like me to have our voices heard. There are thousands of voices from around the nation and world sharing their thoughts and experiences, politics and prejudices and yes, their vices and fetishes. The beauty of the Internet is that everyone with a computer may choose which voices they wish to listen to and which they choose to ignore. The journalists have written much in recent years about how the Internet will change our lives. The novelty has worn off, however, and the dot-com craze of the late 90’s has taken the bloom off the Internet. The power of the Internet has not changed. It continues to grow and evolve and to reach into new places and to more people around the world every day. The monopoly that the journalists once held over information flow has been broken but yet there are countries that are limiting or attempting to limit the content and the reach of the Internet. As technology continues to advance and the reach of the Internet extends ever farther, we can hope that the Internet can help to break the grip of the despotic politicians around the world as well. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?"column will appear from time to time on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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