Clueless bloggers

Gary Arndt, who is chronicling his world travels in the “Internet’s most popular travelogue,” recently came to  Cambodia. As Gary himself tells us in a press release announcing his blogging endeavors, the cowards in the mainstream media could learn a lot from intrepid bloggers like himself.

On October 6, 2008, Gary traveled to Preah Vihear from Siem Reap, Cambodia to assess the border conflict first hand. He traveled through rural Cambodia on motorcycle to reach the disputed temple, which lies 250km from the world famous Angkor Wat.

“… My guide was also armed in case we ran into trouble.”

… Even though the conflict has gained international attention, very few members of the mainstream media have ventured into the area. Arndt, who writes for his own travel blog, was one of the few foreigners to travel to the conflict zone.

“Having been to over 40 countries in 20 months, I have a unique, independent perspective on the world. I hope more people come to realize that bloggers can provide unique perspectives that mainstream media cannot or will not offer”, concluded Arndt.

This is powerfully misinformed. The border dispute has been covered to death. The Post, The Daily, AP, AFP, Reuters, and VOA — that is, virtually every major English news organization in the country — have all reported from Preah Vihear on numerous occasions. In July the government organized a media junket to the temple. Seth Mydans has filed half a dozen reports for the New York Times since. John Vink was there just last week.

Not one of them needed an armed guard.