Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Communications Run Democracies

An article in Huffington Post  recounts how an investigation found Jonathan Edwards, a leading Presidential candidate, lied and forced others to swear to his lies, too. It took the wise advice of a mental health expert, and fortunately it was sound, to get a confession.  A forced partial confession then led to a full confession. The confession exposed Edwards as a bully who manipulated his leading employee to save his job by claiming paternity.of Edwards illegitimate child.  As an individual, Edwards believed he could operate "above the law," as this story details, even as he pursued the Presidency. It's a fascinating, riveting story that could become an interesting book, even a movie.

It's incredible this editor-in-chief didn't leave a stone unturned.  A tabloid, the National Enquirer, did this heavy lifting for a story other major national news organizations had no interest in. Despite using questionable methods, the fact remains. A tabloid, which is not normally a major news source, obtained results that ultimately benefited the entire nation.

 Much-maligned American journalists, even tabloids, are evidently partly responsible for keeping democracy going. Their value in doing so shouldn't be ignored even if it can't be quantified.The point is that news, and communication in a larger sense, is essential in a democracy to expose leaks. Communication is extremely important in a democracy. Google has launched "speak-to-tweet", an audio tweet service, #Egypt,  to help Egypt get the word out, according to a tweet by Arianna Huffington's. Let's hope communication leads to peace in Egypt. Wouldn't that be great? Bill Gates should get the last word. To quote him, Gates says" "It's not that hard" to close down the internet...If the military does that," he says, "it shows the government is "afraid of the truth getting out." "


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