It's hard to say what's worse: Countries with limited civil rights and media or Paris Hilton

McPhail says that Westerners receive limited news of other parts of the world, and that the Western Press say NWICO will worsen this situation. I think that's probably right. Restricting access to international news even further is not going to help. Licensing journalists will lead to less news, and possibly less objective news if those licensed feel pressured to print positive stories. I'm not even sure that plan will help LDCs. I don't understand how it could. I guess by limiting the bad press, countries can improve their reputations. but having said that, if bad things continue to happen, by stopping the rest of the world knowing, those countries would be free to things with no interference. That's like saying that just because we don't hear the story and see the pictures of Paris Hilton doing something skanky, that she's not doing it. We all know she's doing it, we just can't prove it, or stop it. Though I'm not sure anyone can stop the crime against nature that is Paris Hilton. The point if, how is limiting news flow going to help anyone? Especially when it's already limited due to financial and physical safety costs.

I'm not sure how to feel about developmental journalism. On the one hand, it is true that the LDCs don't have the 'infrastructure to support' a media system like the West's. And it is true that they are making initial steps in creating some sort of media that they can build up from. Even America's media had to start somewhere, and it started with publishers being thrown in jail for sedition, which is a big jump from where we are today. In that sense I think it's good that they are making a start and trying to help themselves. On the other hand, the fact that they must only print/broadcast government supportive media is a little scary. It's more scary when they go on to encourage the portrayal of the West as evil. It does not help matters to have the West or the LDCs having images of each other as the enemy.

I don't know where LDCs will go from here, but I wish them luck. I hope they manage to have a stable community and a free press somewhere down the track.