Changing the Face of the Sudan???

Apparently, Reuters.com is "changing the face of the Sudan" by starting to cover more stories occurring in the more peaceful part of the Sudan. Reuters seems to feel the importance of a new motorcycle youth culture, cattle market, and confusing currency is more important than a genocide. Want to give the Sudanese government a little positive spin, Reuters? What's that about? Hmmm...could it be the oil boom in Khartoom? Hey, Reuters, are you being pressured to change your focus? Afraid of losing some big clients? I don't really know the answers to those questions, but if I was a reporter for reuters or elsewhere, I would sure ask!

By the way, I e-mailed the Features Editor at Reuters -- FeaturesEditors@reuters.com -- some comments, letting her know that I hope this new "change of face" didn't mean that Reuters was going to start neglecting coverage of Darfur. Please join me in doing the same.

From Reuters.com:

ADVISORY-The changing face of Sudan: Special Series
Tue 10 Apr 2007 5:44 AM ET

Sudan is most often in the news for the conflict in the far western region of Darfur. But in the meantime peace has returned to the south after more than 20 years of civil war, and an oil boom has started to change the face of the capital Khartoum.

Reuters has prepared a series of features on Sudan, and particularly on the changes in the south, which now has its own autonomous government and where the influence of the Arab Muslim north has started to diminish.

Look out for stories about the factors driving the market for cattle, which are central to the culture of the Nilotic peoples of the south, about the confusing variety of currencies the south has inherited and a new youth motorcycle culture which has come with peace. In Khartoum, we look at the expansion of the hotel industry and a travel postcard from Khartoum will be appearing on our Reuters Life! service on Friday.

The stories will be accompanied by pictures and the series will kick off at 2304 GMT on Tuesday April 10.

-- Reuters wants your feedback on its features file. Please e-mail comments and queries to FeaturesEditors@reuters.com.