Warblog
A
warblog or
milblog is a
weblog devoted mostly or wholly to covering news events concerning an ongoing war. Sometimes the use of the term "warblog" implies that the blog concerned has a
pro-war slant.
Warblogs first appeared during the 2001
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and attained maturity during the
2003 invasion of Iraq. While some warblogs arise out of and are directly limited in their coverage to the war in question, others expand their coverage to related political, social and cultural issues and continue commentating beyond the end of the war. Likewise, blogs that ordinarily cover non-war issues may dedicate their coverage during a time of war to the conflict, with some reverting to their previous missions at the end of the war, and others retaining their new character.
The term was coined by
Matt Welch, who launched his warblog on September 17,
2001.
Warblogging was popularized by
Glenn Reynolds, whose
Instapundit has become one of the most popular
political blogs on the web. Some prominent warblogs like
Steven Den Beste (now retired due to health reasons) existed before
September 11, but made the war on terror their primary focus afterwards. Some people also put
Little Green Footballs in this category, but webmaster Charles Johnson rejects the "warblog" label and never refers to LGF as such.
New warblogs have also arisen since the 9/11 attacks, such as
Command Post,
Belmont Club,
The Adventures of Chester, Pejmanesque, Winds of Change.NET, and many, many others.
Some believe the term "warblog" has become something of an anachronism -- which would seem to be ironic, but speaks to the speed with which things change in the world of the Internet. Most blogs that gained popularity as "warblogs" have far expanded their focus to
politics and general news. Many of these blogs became a focus of attention for frequently updated information related to the election during the 2004 campaign. Others, however, note that the warblogs' level of focus on the war remains a distinguishing feature, and separates them from blogs whose political coverage is mostly domestic in nature.
The field has also birthed a related subsidiary class of webblogs known as "MilBlogs," which also tend to focus on the war. These blogs are written by serving or retired military personnel, or have members on their team blog that fit this description.
Blogging has also extended to people living in current or potential combat zones, with the growth of blogs by Iraqis, Afghans, and especially the
Persian blogosphere (in both
Persian and English) thanks to the efforts of
Hossein Derakhshan. While these are not warblogs, there have been longstanding ties, including encouragement and material support of these activities by warbloggers; and warblog readers have often contributed a significant proportion of their English language audiences.
*
List of blogging terms*
A Soldier's Thoughts by Sgt Zachary Scott-Singley
*
Matt Welch, first post*
The Mudville Gazette Creator of the MilBlogs Ring (2003) and *
Home of MilBlogs *
The Adventures of Chester Former Marine officer who participated in Iraqi campaign offers insight on the war
*
Andrew Sullivan *
Belmont Club*
Command Post Blog collective with up-to-the-minute news; CNN staffers fequently tuned in to The Command Post during the major combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in order to help stay abreast of events.
*
Counterterrorism blog. Features a number of recognized and published counter-terrorism experts: Steven Emerson, Douglas Farah, Evan Kohlmann, Zachary Abuza, Dr. Walid Phares, et. al.
*
Dean's World Features a weekly roundup of Iraqi bloggers known as "the Carnival of the Liberated" and writes frequently in support of the operation and the troops.
*
Global Guerrillas Former clandestine special ops officer who participated in counter-terrorist operations provides insight on the new war.
*
Little Green Footballs*Iraqi blogs:
Where is Raed? the weblog of the first Iraqi blogger, "Salam Pax". Many other Iraqi blogs now exist;
Iraq the Model is probably the most popular and well known at present.
*
Steven Den Beste. Steven no longer posts here,
due to the effects of a genetically-caused degenerative disease.
*
The Collective Lounge - Anti-war/government/consumerism blog*
Winds of Change.NET. Seeks to cover the events, trends, and discoveries changing our world. Motto is "Liberty. Discovery. Humanity. Victory." Will not post war-related material on Saturdays, which are devoted entirely to good news.
*
Milblogging.com. A comprehensive listing of milblogs and milblog news.
*
Midnight in Iraq. A marine's daily blog from Fallujah, Iraq with Flickr photostream.
