One Very Brief Worry

In Will's piece linked to below he also talks about violence in Aden, which is kind of par for the course, though no less terrible for it.   But there is this brief LATimes blurb about the protests which contains something worrisome.

The protests come after a wave of anti-government rallies spread across Yemen during the past two weeks, inspired by revolts that ousted Tunisia's former president and the uprising in Egypt that threatened President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.


It isn't quite the same.  The Southern Movement has been going on for several years, and was not "inspired" by Tunisia or Egypt.  They may be more motivated or more persuaded of eventual success; I don't know.   I just worry that the media, in the understandable flush of history, will have a hell of a time sussing out the various strands of Yemeni rebellions and revolutions, and the we'll see Peggy Noonan on CNN trying to tell us what Reagan would have done in Abyan and I'll have to turn to the bottle for comfort.

Privatization in Yemen?

Looks like it.  The Yemen Observer has a pretty interesting interview with Hassan al-Lawzi, the Minister of Information.  In it, he talks about selling radio and TV bands to private citizens.   This is actually a pretty big development, and might go a long way.  The democratization of information is always important to furthering actual democracy.  Yemen already has a history of a lively free pass, though it is stifled in times of trouble (like now).   But I think it is important to note that press restrictions seem a violation, and a controversial one, rather than the norm.  In the region, that is pretty remarkable.

I don't want to overstate the case.  The government will still decide who gets these contracts, and I wouldn't hold my breath expecting pirate radio and TV stations to sprout up.  Print isn't cheap, but a broadcasting infrastructure is considerably more expensive.   There is a decent chance many of the licenses will still go to entrenched interests.   When monied interests are in charge, these mediums can become little more than a way to present commercials at best, and a viewpoint as well. 

Still, this is worth noting, especially when most of the news coming out of Yemen is bad.  This isn't exactly unadulterated good, but it is a reminder of the mass of contradictions and complexity that make up Yemen.  I would read the whole interview.  Predictable propaganda aside, it gives a pretty good look at the breadth of media in the country.


Also, on a side note, is there anything more sinister-sounding than "Minister of Information"?  Maybe "Secretary-General of Ax Violence", but that doesn't count because it only exists in Turkmenistan.

Tsunami

Is this unprecedented?  I don't mean the earthquake, of course, but the anticipation and coverage of the impending tsunami.  I suppose it is akin to a major hurricane, which we can track as it storms toward land.  But I really don't remember ever seeing anything like this- the knowledge of this wave, crashing blindly but with a seemingly malevolent intent across the ocean, and we seem to know nearly within the minute when it will hit. 

How is this going to be covered?  Will there be cameras there?  Are we going to see it coming, live?  I admit to a growing obsession with this.  How far away will it be before we can see it? 

And, if I am going to be completely honest about this, I am a little worried about a letdown.  I don't think I am alone here.  I imagine that the news people are really hoping for a dramatic cataclysm.

Anyone else?  Are you just as interested in how this is unfolding as I am?