Global Post Goes Live

Today is a great day for international news. GLOBAL POST is live. With more than 70 correspondents in every corner of the world and a mission to redefine international news for the digital age, Global News is media entrepreneurship at its best. The special report titled "For Which It Stands" is a must read. And don't miss the video from Afghanistan titled "An Accordian Journey." As my friend and Global News founder Charles Sennott puts it, "The video will make you feel good and how many stories about Afghanistan are built around a performance of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire?" You have to watch it to know what I mean."

You Can Help Susan Retik Win $35,000 for Afghan Widows. VOTE NOW!

Susan Retik, the founder of Beyond the 11th who was featured in our film "Beyond Belief," is a finalist for the Smart Cookie Award at Cookie Magazine. The winner will receive $35,000 for her foundation. THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS! Imagine the incredible impact that money can have in the lives of women and children. I think of Sahera and her five children who I met while visiting Kabul. Help from Susan's organization means the difference between Sahera having to send her six-year-old daughter to school or out into the street to beg for money and scraps of bread. For other families, the choice for young girls is even more horrific - forced marriage and prostitution. Vote now for Susan Retik (and Beyond the 11th).

As the U.S. increases military activity in Afghanistan, and the Taliban stranglehold grows in different regions, life for women and children continues to deteriorate. But Beyond the 11th is making a difference by providing life-saving financial and emotional support to those who are trapped in an ever-deepening cycle of poverty. Susan's grants help thousands of Afghanistan's more than two million widows become self-sufficient and financially independent.

Susan's work was inspired by the incredible generosity she received after losing her husband, David, on September 11th, and her realization of the scarcity of help for widows in Afghanistan. An editorial Susan wrote recently reminds me how much her work promotes peace and justice and protects humanity.

Together we can help Susan make a difference for the women and children in Afghanistan--a difference that will have a ripple effect throughout the world. There are no obligations to voting- you do not have to subscribe to the magazine and you will not be put on any mailing or call lists. One lucky voter will win a five-night stay for two adults and three children at the Azul Sensatori Hotel by Karisma in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Please VOTE!

Media Re:public: The Future of News in This Digitial Era

For the past year my friend, Persephone Miel, has been working with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society to answer this complex question: What is the future of journalism in a digital world? After conversations and conferences with journalists, bloggers, citizen journalists, public broadcasters, publishers, advertising networks, researchers, technologists, and many others, they've released a major research report (and a cool short video to go with it).



As I continue to be astonished – and depressed - by the decline in international reporting, I was particularly interested in the research report focused on international news coverage.