I heard the last five minutes of NPR’s On Point show tonight, just as Jay Rosen was explaining why Farnaz Fassihi’s email about the reality of life in Iraq has hit so hard when other journalists have discussed the same issues in print. I was in the car, so I won’t do Jay’s point justice, but he said that it was a matter of language and tone (what I might call “voice”). The official reportage keeps itself flat and safe, Jay said (approximately) because there are so many forces ready to pounce at the slightest sign of “bias.” So, when we hear a voice that speaks the truth and that “bears witness” (Jay’s exactly-right phrase), we listen.

My sense was that most of the show was devoted to the question of why Fassihi’s email evoked such a reaction, and Jay banged the nail on the head for them. They should have asked Jay first, and then they would have 55 minutes to talk about John Edward’s hair or W’s back lump…

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