Dear Readers,
Does it matter what the rest
of the world thinks? Does it help us to know - and is it interesting to know -
what the Iraqis think about democracy or the U.S. invasion? Does it matter what
Mexicans think about U.S. immigration policy? Could it be that the French, the
Germans or Saudis have something to offer us in terms of how to improve our
public image in Europe and the Middle East?
If you're like me, the answer
is definitely yes.
My name is William Kern, and
I'm the founder and managing editor of WORLDMEETS.US.
I am responsible for the content that we publish. That includes finding
articles in the foreign press about the United States, sending them off to one
of our translators, checking the translations for accuracy and then reediting,
packaging and posting them for Americans and English-speaking people to
read.
As I think you'll find while
exploring WORLDMEETS.US, the views
of the other 6 billion people in the world not only matter, but they are
absolutely fascinating, aggravating, startling and in the American interest to
know.
This project is dedicated to
breaking down the language barrier and providing the American people with a new
two-way channel of information and new insights into themselves and the rest of
the world.
Those of us who work on this
project have begun to accomplish this mission by providing news and opinion
about the United States from non-U.S. sources most Americans have never been
able to read. All of the most prominent brands in modern journalism that have
never been available in English - Le
Figaro of Paris to Azzaman
in Baghdad, from El Universal in
Caracas to the Xinjingbao
in Beijing, the people of WORLDMEETS.US
are working to bring you the unvarnished views of the rest of the world about
the United States - directly from these daily newspapers just days after
publication.
Next on the WORLDMEETS.US drawing board is an
online community where outward looking Americans that are curious about the
rest of the world can find people from any other country - and where people
from other nations can find Americans curious about them. And we plan to
provide some powerful tools to make this idea a reality - including a
multilingual instant messenger - so that people who don't speak English can
communicate with Americans in real time, tools for educators who want to
arrange class-to-class relationships with students in other nations, and a
forum in which Americans and people from other countries can interact not only about
news, but about all the things that matter to people.
However, in order to bring
this vision to fruition, we need to raise not only money - but our public
profile. So please consider making a donation to our work
and help make other people aware of our mission and what we do.
Talk about this project. If
you're a journalist, a teacher or an attorney, tell your colleagues. If you're
a student, a taxi driver or a home maker, tell your friends. If you watch
C-Span for example, call up Washington Journal. If you listen to Rush Limbaugh,
Democracy Now or any talk radio program - call them up and let them know that
this project exists and what it does.
I want to thank all of you
for coming and for being part of what we believe to be a pioneering effort in
modern communications.
William Kern
Founder and Managing Editor
WORLDMEETS.US