Rewrite

The Egyptian military has set up an eight-person panel of legal experts to revise the country's constitution. While the group seems inclusive, the ten day process presents both dangers & opportunities for the underlying goal for more democracy in the country.

Tip My Hat to the New Constitution Audio Embed: PRI & WNYC's program The Takeaway 2/16/11, Hosts: Celeste Headlee & Todd Zwillich.

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Resource Deprived

Former CNN correspondent Kelli Arena says American media “blew it” on the big Egypt story, failing to anticipate the uprising and simply following events as they happened. That they missed the story until it exploded is the product, she says, of widespread cutbacks at American networks that have left international coverage in tatters... For example, at CBS the total number of correspondents based outside of the continental U.S. is 2.

Reception Depraved

That lack of alternatives, combined with the basic grit that is present in the character of anyone willing to be a war correspondent, explains why Lara Logan went back to Egypt only days after being expelled amid accusations she and her crew were really Israeli spies.

CBS News has released a statement confirming that correspondent Lara Logan was subjected to a horrible attack amid the celebrations in Egypt February 11, the day Hosni Mubarak stepped down.


Reaction Demented

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Among the other U.S. correspondents injured on the job in Cairo was Greg Palkot of Fox News, who talked to GQ about his own ordeal.

There's a saying from sales that "you never get anywhere, if you don't go anywhere." It's about the value of face to face contact. The same can be said of foreign news coverage... As Bill Lichtenstein reminds, citing the NY Times Nick Kristof, there's no substitute for being there.