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Level -> From Jarhead to al-Jazeera (8/4/2007 4:58:55 PM)
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When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Marine Captain Josh Rushing was sent into the action, but not actual combat.
He was posted at the U.S. media center in Doha, Qatar, to take on the world's press corps. Strangely, as a relatively junior officer, he was made point person for arguably the Middle East's most influential Arab news channel: Al Jazeera.
Though he was charged with providing the Bush Administration's spin on the war, his exposure to Arab culture and identity through Al Jazeera's reporters broadened his perspective.
Rushing even unwittingly became a star in a critically acclaimed documentary about Al Jazeera called "Control Room," much to the dismay of his superior officers who eventually pulled the plug on the relationship, leading to his resignation from the Marine Corps.
How quickly things change. Rushing is now a correspondent for Al Jazeera International, the English language version of the news channel. He is based in Washington, D.C., and has a new book called "Mission Al Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World."
He recently spoke to me from Washington. The transcript follows below.
http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs41058;_ylt=AvSrHqOllE71O9.C9HbfVhWs0NUE
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