The following interview appears in today’s Sydney Morning Herald:
Which writer, alive or dead, would you most like to see at a writers’ festival?
George Orwell. We need somebody to skewer the imperial ambitions of the right and the self-righteousness of the left. He could regale audiences with tales of war and hopefully convince any waverers in the audience that the next Iraq should best be avoided.
What do you think journalists in the mainstream media could learn from bloggers?
To recognise that the intellect of the crowd is probably far higher than their own. To appreciate their authority being challenged and to enjoy the fact that collaborative journalism is not a dirty word. Unless, of course, they’d rather just speak to each other.
How have you coped with the flak you received for My Israel Question?
With a combination of joy and frustration. Vast numbers of people want to debate the role of the Zionist lobby and Israel’s colonisation of the West Bank without fear or favour. The mainly Jewish critics are clearly insecure about the actions of their beloved homeland. Recently moving into a fifth reprint certainly helped to calm my nerves.
Josephine Tovey
Antony Loewenstein is the author of the forthcoming The Blogging Revolution. He is appearing at Creative Dissent at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.