Paul Lam is right in drawing our attention to the role played by propaganda in the expansion of American imperialism since 1945.

One of the reasons why American propaganda is still relatively effective is that not many Malaysians have access to alternative news, opinions and ideas. Thankfully, there is now a respectable English-language website that provides such views from the Middle East, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe while remaining independent of and critical of the United States.

Watching America is certainly not a fanatical, extremist or terrorist organisation. It is a website that tries to put together on a daily basis alternative views of the US from respectable media all over the world.

It is informative for even ordinary Americans who want to know what the outside world, including the governments of other countries, think about America and its government.

Of course, if we have the time, there is no harm in cross-checking the pronouncements of the US government with well-known dissenting American intellectuals like the Noam Chomsky or Paul Krugman .