Saturday, February 11, 2012

Of Distant Shores: a new blog (maybe)

I'm thinking of starting a new blog called Of Distant Shores, focusing on world news, immigration, and US foreign policy. It's an idea I've been mulling over for several years, and now starting to think more seriously about. I'm curious if there is anyone out there who would be interested in collaborating in any of the following ways:

  • Co-writing the blog with me
  • Contributing on a regular basis
  • Contributing on an occasional basis

In terms of writing style and posting schedule, I'm leaning more towards frequent updates and numerous short posts with links to external sites. These would be supplemented with occasional longer pieces containing in-depth analysis.
I think there's a market for this sort of thing, and that this could potentially become an influential voice within the blogosphere IF its author(s) devote sufficient time and attention to it, and I know I can't do that all by myself. That's not to say that I won't start this blog unless I have help; I'm just gauging interest at this point.

Please comment (or e-mail me) if you are interested in contributing, or if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Read on for the FAQ:

What is Of Distant Shores?

It’s a blog about what’s going on in other countries, and about foreign policy and immigration in the United States. The concentration is on news of political importance and stories of interest to Americans.

Is Of Distant Shores written for an American audience, or a global audience?

Although we do hope to gain a broad international readership, it's written primarily for an American audience, because Americans should be better informed about events outside of our country. We believe that this will help improve American politics and foreign policy. The mainstream American media does a poor job of providing this type of information, and most political blogs popular in America focus on American issues. Also, because the media outlets that do a good job of covering other countries are usually based overseas and not geared towards American readers.

That having been said, we welcome international readers and contributors. We encourage international readers to post comments and share their experiences, in order to provide a better perspective on the issues we report. Americans living abroad, and foreigners living in America are also strongly encouraged to join in.

Is Of Distant Shores chiefly fact, or opinion?

Note: this is negotiable, and subject to change. Bias in the media is unfortunate but inevitable. The biggest problem is that people seem to think they are getting balanced, fair reporting, without realizing that the article or report is slanted by the producers’ and reporters’ own opinions. In America, the cable news channels are perhaps the biggest perpetrators, but one should always take the news with a grain of salt. We at Of Distant Shores recognize that our coverage may also be biased (and that the slant, if any, is probably left-leaning). However, we are committed to fact-based reporting. Our writers will try to keep their own opinions to the comments section, and to articles clearly labeled "opinion."

What is this blog's mission statement or objective?

To contribute towards educating the American people on important global issues, and, through helping to create a more informed population, to affect the national conversation on these issues in a positive way. It is our hope that ultimately this will lead to improvements in American foreign policy and immigration policy.

2 comments:

  1. Cool idea! It sounds like it would be interesting to read.

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  2. Thanks for sharing. I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will eventually come back from now on. I want to encourage continue your great job.actors interviews

    ReplyDelete