OK. Get to the Point!

With a title like "After six years, We're Worthless,'" you would think that there would be a bit more explanation in the first two sentences or in the first two paragraphs for that matter. The Post's Ernesto Londono put together a very interesting piece about the recent withdrawal of US troops from Baghdad. After nearly six years of conflict, the US is finally moving out, leaving Iraqi troops to maintain the peace, but in the words of Hassan Shama, the head of the Sadr City District Council, "We're Worthless." It is true that there will still be some troops who will stay behind to train soldiers, but the numbers aren't nearly as high as when the US began the Iraqi invasion. Fearing the impending departure of soldiers, some community leaders are afraid of those who will do anything to seize power without the watchful eye of the Americans.

Londono did a decent job of reporting, but I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement. For starters, he could actually tell his audience what he's talking about before they all die of anticipation. He described the history of the situation before we even new what the situation was. He should have led with his third paragraph: "As U.S. troops have sharply disengaged from Baghdad in recent months, local representatives say they are feeling powerless and abandoned..." Then he should have sourced this statement with the quote by Hassan Shama.

Londono did include very compelling statements from a decent number of sources, but he also should have gotten statements from people who weren't happy with US troop presence. Their opinion would have given another perspective to the story.