Does shock still have value?

This video has been watched several million times online.
The issue may be a relatively new one, the tactic of using shock to get a message across isn’t. But can it still have the same impact, or have we become desensitised?

On air: Do you trust the Afghan election result ?

 

The Afghan Ambassador to the US Said Tayeb Jawad told the World Today programme that the recent elections were a success  … and that the real winners were the Afghan people. You can listen to the clip here:

This person — an Afghan election observer — is sharing some of that optimism – at least to a certain degree.  They say, “it is clear that Afghanistan is having significant issues with the way this election was conducted. But in one city, looking through one straw, it looked as if it went pretty well.”

But not everyone is feeling quite so sure.

On air: Should soldiers risk their lives for journalists?

There’s another angle to Afghanistan in the news today – the rescuing of New York Times journalist Stephen Farrell. A British soldier was killed during the raid, along with two Afghan civilians. Afghan journalist Sultan Munadi, who had been captured along with Stephen Farrell in Kunduz, was also killed during the rescue. On the Times discussion forum today one poster, KC, reflected the views of many there.

This is absolutely disgraceful that a soldier has to put his life at risk in an effort to save someone who shouldn’t be there.

Is it time to stop punishing Zimbabwe?

It’s been labelled everything from a pariah state to a basket case, and its President a monster. But Southern African heads of state have called on the international community to end sanctions on Zimbabwe.