LinkTV, a supplement to viewing news

When I was a boy Detroit had already become a two-newspaper town. As a teen I learned that cities in other countries had a large number of newspapers. Of course, each one had its editorial bias. The larger number of papers offered readers a greater range of views and opinions on current events.

Print has been joined by other media to disseminate news and to reflect on it and issue opinions. First from my elder family members, who hailed from different countries, and after traveling some myself, I have noticed that we in the U.S. don't have as wide range of considering the news. Perhaps our two-party governmental system and two- (and now often only single-) newspaper circulation in our cities and towns limit us in this respect. However, we need not be limited even if our cities offer us just two or only one newspaper.

I discovered earlier this week LinkTV. I cannot view it on my set where I live, but I did visit it on the web (www.linktv.org). I was surprised at the number of offerings. Some may criticize LinkTV itself of having its own editorial bias. That may well be the case; I haven't watched it long enough to be sure myself. Whatever its slant may be, its offerings give one a look into current events and the people involved in them that our now numerous channels do not.

I was impressed that someone would want to allow U.S. and Iraqi young adults to converse with one another before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I got a glimpse into the hearts and minds of young people that I never knew any cable or network news station made available here in the U.S. It was about 30 minutes in length and well worth the time.

I want to set aside another half-hour to view its follow-up conversation by satellite link when the groups "visited" each other again after the invasion of Iraq. If I am not aware of the hearts of people as well as the news about people, then I will fail to form good opinions. LinkTV offers us a broader view of both the news and the people it affects and how others outside our country view the news.