The year 2008 and so many talk about GLOBAL economy and geo politics and how democracy works in many areas and there has been much investigativejournalism!! ....And--- IT IS NEEDED or why have a media if it is not free!!However most of the BEST INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM is now comingfrom independent sources especially on the internet such as Open Democracyor on special tv programing where the REAL STORY is allowed to be told and also on some public radio programs!! This means ofcourse that many of the best journalists and investigative journalists and scholars are not allowed to write orair their stories in major print publications or on MAINSTREAM TV and RADIO !!The reasons are two-fold!! In the United States the Federal Communcations Commission now allows a company--if it has the money, to buy and control numerous radio and/or tv stationsin one market or many markets and now also print as well!!This is as we all know market control or monopoly.............And the same is happening in other countries!!Also we must remember that the government in the U.S. and other countries realizes now more than ever that the media has more impact on the general public than elected officials such as presidents--prime ministers-membersof various congresses and parliaments worldwide!!So we must sincerely ask ourselves what is a TRUE DEMOCRACY!!Here in the U.S. just a couple years ago a reporter named Ross Wolfwas arrested for covering an anti G 8 Summit protest in San Francisco andhad his video seized and was locked up for approximately a year anda half ..but MAINSTREAM MEDIA hardly coverd this terrible infringementon a reporters right under the 1ST AMENDMENT of the U.S Constitution!Also an excellent reporter Judy Miller of the New York Times was locked up in jail because she would not reveal a confidentialsource relevant to a story which eventually pertainerd to the working relationship of ONE Scotter Libby and his boss Vice President Dick Cheney with relevance to a story leaked thru the news media about an alleged spy!!I Underline the word alledged....And in fact because Miss Miller did not feel this was a well defined storywith enough worthiness to write and print she simply just kept the informationto herself but did not write on it because there were a lot of grey areason this topic---NONE THE LESS she went to jail in FREE United States of America for eighty six days!!Ofrcourse news reporters are not totally immune from being indicted or demanded to reveal sources but it is usually when there is EVER PRESENT danger toshall we say---NATIONAL SECURITY!!Similar incidents have now occured in other countries worldwide such as RUSSIA where for some UNKNOWN reason eighty eight journalists lost theirlives last year--more than in war torn Iraq!And let us NOT forget the murder of INTERNET JOURNALIST Georgiy Gongadzeunder the Kuchma regime in KYIV Ukraine and that case still has NOT gone to court!!So where is there a true and FREE DEMOCRACY and freedom of the media!Perhaps no one country in the world really allows it-----It seems there is muchmore goverment control because governments have allowed for broader media ownership which means they have less people to deal with when they try tocontrol--put pressure on, or persuade the media that perhaps this story isnot in the best interests of the people.. In Iraq and other countries reporters have been killed for reporting the truth for their fellow countrymen and the world when the subject matter needs to be revealed to the general public!!The GOOD NEWS is that the INTERNET is hitting hard on the so called MAINSTREAM MEDIA door and much more free expression and contentwhich needs to be reported is getting out!!Have you watched your local tv stations or networks recently??...Notice how they mention to check " us out on the web at www whatever"; So this is good and allowing some very brilliant and experienced PATRIOTS to get the word--pictures and sound out to the PEOPLE of THE WORLD!Here in the U.S a great statesman years ago--Thomas Jefferson--one of the founding fathers said IF he had a choice with government without the press or now media or the media without government,he would choose thelatter as he felt it was more representative of a true democracy and more expression for the people!!..And it was Abraham Liuncoln who said in one of his speaches thatit is a a country " of the people, by the people and for the people."We must all keep in mind our calling and our service to mankind!Granted we may not make a million dollars for our journalistic workBUT as for me,I never intended to become a journalist for the money!!It helps to pay the bills--BUT more importantly we are hopefully performinga service for our countrymen and countries and the world!!And as for those media conglomerates..I would like to thank them becauseI now can report respectful journalism hopefully,and no influential mediaCEO can say ...I can't report that!...And the internet is now also eating away at their profits from advertisingas more and more people seek their information and variousalternatives thru the internet!I welcome criticism and hopefully when I report on a relevant topic it isrespectfully interpreted as independent and unbiased journalism from reliablesources and years of building contacts and also good friends.The REAL TRUTH is not if what we write or broadcast is likedbut that it is received by millions of people who yearn for decentjournalism to help them be better informed in their fight forindependence and in many cases THE TRUTH!!!!Let the light of free journalism shed brightly on the world and hopefully wecan continue to make a difference!!Remember TIME STAYS--WE GO. for TIME is infinite and we are justfinite, so we should make the most of the time given us in this world!...Remember IF we don't stand for something then we will fall for anything!!WES RODGERS PATRIOTS TV and patriotstv.com