Friday, April 01, 2011

As a service to its readers, The Daily Star has decided to abandon the publication of a traditional editorial opinion, as it does every day, for the remainder of this year, 2011, the year of Arab revolutions.

This year has been an exceptional one for Arab publics, and the same should go for readers of newspapers from the Arab world. The Daily Star has considered itself at the cutting edge of international journalism, and the newspaper’s decision to suspend, for the rest of this year, its customary voice – its editor-driven editorial – has resulted from professional reasons. This newspaper believes that the time has come to achieve interactivity with its readers, and the editorial will be a new forum in which The Daily Star can achieve this distinction.

For the remainder of 2011, the following is The Daily Star editorial opinion, and the newspaper encourages its readers to interact with this template, and play their part in forming the media discussion of events:

The recent popular demonstrations in  ______________  represent a development that many analysts have seen on the horizon, for the last  ______________  years.
Ever since the tragic events  ______________  ago, which have come to be known as “Bloody  ______________  ,” officials in the country have been putting off the painful decisions that are needed to see  ______________  reach the shores of safety in this turbulent region.

While it is true that the country’s leader,  ______________  , has indicated that there will be a solution to the mass uprisings, he has failed to adhere to a strict time-table on when things will actually change, for the better.
As everyone knows,  ______________  is facing a series of challenges: high unemployment, a very young population, a lack of avenues for political expression, and rampant corruption and mismanagement.

Naturally, the gossip in the streets has been particularly vicious about not only  ______________  , but also his  ______________  , who is seen as a leading symbol of this corruption.

The people of  ______________  certainly deserve a better set of conditions in which they can both express themselves, and prosper with dignity.

The slogans being shouted in the streets, such as down with  ______________  , are a stark reminder of the level of popular anger, and should be taken seriously by the authorities.

Blaming foreign involvement is no longer going to be swallowed by the masses, who have clearly demonstrated how pressing the need for change is, especially in a country like  ______________  , which is especially dear to the hearts of everyone in the Arab world.