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Should Andrew Gilligan be sent to Macedonia
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Update 6 September 2001
Due to a majority decision, Andrew was sent to Macedonia.
The arguments went as follows:
Andrew Gilligan
A far away country of which we know little? That seems to be the attitude of many towards Macedonia - not least some of the senior staff of this programme.
But in fact, Macedonia is the ultimate powder keg of the Balkans - the reason we went into Bosnia and Kosovo in the first place. Our great fear always was that instability on those two places would spill over into Macedonia. It's a fear because, unlike any other country in the Balkans, fighting in Macedonia could suck in an EU and NATO member - Greece.
Even if we don't care for those reasons (they are after all foreigners!), there will soon be 1800 British troops potentially standing in the cross-fire in this tinderbox of a country. That is something even the tabloids are getting worried about and a programme of Today's calibre certainly should.
The Editor's Reply
Oh, we know where Macedonia is. We report on the country every day. It's
been on the brink - meaning the brink of anarchy, violence, disorder,
warfare - for months.
Places can only be on the brink for a limited period
of time; after that the brink becomes the norm and, paradoxically, thus off
the brink. But we still report the situation the, day in, day out - and so
we should. Now, British troops are going into Macedonia.
This means Macedonia is slightly less on the brink than it has been for months, i.e. it's less of a story. Andrew attempts to gain the moral high ground by implying
that the reason we don't want to cover Macedonia is that it's not a domestic
story - and yet the reason he wants to go there is because "our boys" have
gone in. Nope, it won't wash.
There are lots and lots of miserable, depressed, blood-strewn countries in
the world which we HAVEN'T reported from - and where there aren't a legion
of 成人快手 journalists regularly feeding us with stories, as there are in
Macedonia. We have only 12 reporters, we can't cover them all.
But let's allocate our resources properly. Andrew should go to Colombia, Burma, Sudan,
Tajikistan, Nepal, Haiti.........and leave Macedonia to the reporters
already there.
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