That's not at all the same list of things that may affect our national interest. And it depends on film footage. Look at the difference between Bob Dole falling off a speaker's platform in broad daylight in front of the cameras, and Bill Clinton falling down the stairs in the dead of night. Information technology cannot replace solid diplomatic reporting. It is important to distinguish between excellent means of communication and excellent communication.
Computers offer the former.
And educated men and women can manage the latter. When the media are closing foreign bureaus is exactly the wrong time for the U.S. government to be closing and consolidating embassies and consulates abroad. The information age brings us an overwhelming flood of material. But the job of sorting it out and making sense of it gets harder and harder. And the private sector and individuals now have access to information that formerly was available only to a few institutions.