Stories Media & Internet from July, 2008

Israel: Much Ado Over a Prayer

While in Israel, US presidential hopeful Barack Obama placed a prayer in the Western Wall during a pre-dawn visit. Soon enough, a Jewish religious student fished the private note from the wall and gave it to Ma'ariv, where it was published - drawing criticism to both the newspaper and Obama himself. Bloggers were quick to take sides, with some insinuating that perhaps Obama had 'prayed' for the prayer to go public.

Did New Yorker Obama cartoon cross the line?

  July 22, 2008

A cartoon on the cover of the U.S.-based publication the New Yorker stirred passions throughout the blogosphere. The cartoon, displayed on the front of the July 21, 2008 edition of the weekly news and culture magazine, depicted Obama in traditional African muslim dress and head wrap giving a “knuckle tap”...

USA: Al Jazeera Blackout?

  July 7, 2008

When Al Jazeera announced its plans to release English-language channel in 2005, the announcement was met with both support and protest in the United States. And so, although the US government doesn't prevent access to the channel, many cable companies are reluctant to carry it; after all, Donald Rumsfeld had...