BACKGROUND
I created this website in early September 2002 because I wanted to be part of the early group of people in the US who were (somewhat inadvertently) building an independent, alternative, online (web) source of news and analysis – which over time came to be known as blogs – to complement the traditional media in the United States. The objective of this website was to influence America’s traditions of liberty and democracy in a very positive way – given I have long admired the United States. When I initially started this website, I decided to focus on important political and socio-economic issues facing the U.S. and sought to find ways to provide more balance to public and media debates on these issues. Over a period of years, I experimented and used different approaches to advance debates and discussion, ranging from the simplest (opinion pieces) to the more complex (qualitative and quantitative analysis, long-form essays, investigative reporting/journalism, subject-matter deep-dives). The experience was remarkably enriching – both in terms of the learning about the US and world at large, as well as about public policy, politics, media and driving influence and change.
Needless to say, this website itself is primitive and functional in design. This was because my writings and analysis were all in the limited free time I had outside of work and personal commitments – and that free time shrunk considerably over the years. In fact, I have not written anything new/original on this site since circa 2005 – hence, outside of the home page or this page, this site has NOT been maintained/updated for the most part of nearly a decade. (So, yes, the website design sucks but that was never my focus.) After 2004, I moved the “eriposte” moniker to the well-known left-of-center blog called The Left Coaster (TLC) – and I continued to blog there till around 2009 or so, after which my blogging at TLC became minimal to non-existent. During that period, I also occasionally wrote guest posts under the “eriposte” name at other sites such as Firedoglake and UN Dispatch. I’ve been gratified at the support, encouragement, and referrals from many influential people as well as my (often) loyal readers over the last decade – and I can’t thank them enough for it. We’ve also had disagreements time to time – some serious, some minor – but that’s part of free speech and democracy and it was another immensely valuable experience.
A brief note on my ideological/political leanings – in the interest of disclosure. At the time I first started writing anything meaningful online (circa 2001/2002), I had never held firm political leanings and was at best a political novice who was not anywhere near as informed on history, politics, and policy as I am today. (So, if you are reading some of my old content today, I guess I’ll ask you to do me a favor and cut me some slack if you find some obvious naïveté or missteps in my coverage.) I have always considered myself a left-leaning independent ideologically. My initial reactions to 9/11 led some friends to wonder if I were a right-leaning conservative. However, the Bush administration’s and assorted GOP politicians’ policies and rhetoric in the years following 9/11 drove me to become a firm Democratic supporter in those ensuing years. Since 2008, I took a more independent turn in my political thinking – although I am still left-leaning broadly speaking. All that said, I believe quite strongly that balance of powers and an honest, accurate and inquisitive fourth estate (media) is critical for a properly functioning constitutionally-liberal democracy (a term borrowed from Fareed Zakaria – reflecting the balance between liberties and democracy) and would like to see significant representation of more than one party at all levels of Government.
If there’s one thing that I realized through my 12+ years of experience in the world of blogging and journalism – it is that I have a passion for media – and to enable positive transformations through intelligent, analytical, accurate journalism and stories. I hope to continue that passion in the years ahead even if it is just in my free time.
For those of you who are new to this site, I have included below some comments from other writers/bloggers about my work.
CONTACT INFORMATION
To contact me or to send your comments/feedback, please email feedback-at-eriposte-dot-com. Civility will be appreciated.
