Michael Totten Dons His Pajamas
Los Angeles, CA – Pajamas Media today announced its newest addition to its list of in-house Pajamas “Xpress” bloggers – Michael Totten, winner of the 2006 Blogger of the Year award and among the first bloggers to assume a role as a foreign correspondent. Totten will provide readers with in-depth news and analysis about the Middle East, Balkan and Caucasus regions.
“On behalf of Pajamas Media and PJTV, I want to welcome Michael to the PajamasXpress blogger lineup,” said Roger L. Simon, CEO of Pajamas Media. “The Western world is increasingly impacted by the news and events that flow out of the Middle East. Our soldiers are over there, but all too often, our citizens are unable to grasp the culture and political structure of this foreign world. For years, Michael has had his eye on the Middle East, often giving on-the-ground analysis and insight. We are excited to welcome him and his insight to Pajamas Media.”
Totten has made frequent trips to the Middle East, spending time in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Georgia and several other locations, even taking up residence in Beirut for a short time. His writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, City Journal, the New York Daily News, the Jerusalem Post, Newsweek, and more.
In 2006, Totten was named Blogger of the Year by The Week magazine for his dispatches from the Middle East. A year later, he won a Weblog Award for the Best Middle East/Africa Blog. Totten captured that award again in 2008. Totten is currently finishing his first book, a documentary of his Middle East encounters, which is set to be published by Encounter Books in Spring 2011.
Click here to read Totten’s debut post for PJM.
Ah, Michael, so sad to see. Now you will be drowned out by Phyllis Chesler and rubbing shoulders with birthers.
If you think Totten will be “drowned out” by anybody, you haven’t read his stuff.
This is the biggest PJM “get” since Instapundit and Victor Davis Hanson
Will Mr. Totten be doing this in addition to his work at Commentary, or will this replace Commentary?
Fine choice for both Totten abd PJM. Pajamas Journalism indeed. The NYT is being eclipsed. Great graphic design is all the NYT has left.
Mr. Totten – Welcome to PJM; I look forward to reading your take on things (and, on occasion, commenting on them).
This is great news, for us, PJM, and the Kurds.
Eric,
I’m still writing for Commentary.
Of the many fine writings of yours that I have read, I liked the pieces about travelling in Tunisia and Libya the best.
Congrats to both Mr. Totten and PJTV.
Michael is one of the best commentators/analysts/observers on the ME.
Welcome to PJM, Mr. Totten.
Don’t let the trolls get you down, those of us who read/comment regularly do our best to keep them under control.
Great to see Michael at PJM — I suggest Roger try to get some PJTV reports sometime, too; tho I’ll always want transcripts more than video, myself.
The picture here is better than the moving thumb in the express lay-out (too much cropping, not enough reduction).
And I’d even suggest a trip to Kurdistan, both Turkey & Iraqi, before Israel, would be another good place to cover.
Excellent choice. Totten does excellent, non-biased, reporting on his chosen subject, the military, mideast, other foreign nations, and the wars in Iraq and Afganistan. He also provides good balance for Pajamas media, since I would not characterize his reporting as right wing, as is some of Pajamas reporting, but balanced and non-biased. His stories on Iraq were always accurate, both when he said we were doing poorly, and when he said we were doing well. In both instances, he was always fair to the troopers on the ground.
I wonder, now that you have signed Totten, have you also considered approaching Michael Yon. He is also an excellent reporter, in a similar field.
We have worked with Michael Yon in the past, richard40, and will again. The TWO Michaels are leading the way in web journalism. Thanks, Roger
I find PJM interesting and thought provoking, and now that you’ve added MT to the PJM Masthead, I’ll be a much more frequent visitor. Having read the courageous Mr. Totten in various other publications, I have found that he is the journalistic equivalent of a shadow Foreign Minister. Bravo PJM!
Wonderful to see you here. One of my all time favorites. One of the few times I donated to a blogger because I found that his reports told me more about what was going on that all the MSM combined – and he was self-financing and doing all his own planning. Great addition to the team.
What wonderful news! MJT is in a class by himself as a correspondent. One of my all time favorite dispatches is from Kurdistan, when Michael and Patrick Lasswell were delivered to the wrong group of kurdish communists:
http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001409.html
Bravo! Michael Totten is one of the best out there. I have been reading his dispatches for years, and nobody else comes close to his combination of timeliness, in depth coverage and the humanity of his writing.
Good job!
Welcome to PJM, Michael. Honored to have you as a commenter here.
MJT is in a class by himself as a correspondent. One of my all time favorite dispatches is from Kurdistan, when Michael and Patrick Lasswell were delivered to the wrong group of kurdish communists: