On Monday morning, I composed a post about the documentary film A Closer Walk, which makes its American television debut tonight on PBS (check your local listing for times.)

That first draft didn’t feel quite right, but it took me a little while to figure out why. I showed to it our Internet Director, Josh, and he spotted it right away: my post read like a press release.

He was right – that was exactly the problem. Press releases are useful tools for the media, but posting them here is most certainly not the best use of this forum. This blog is a way for us to have a direct conversation with our members: an ongoing dialogue that will help all of us stay up to date on – and make sense of – the fight to end extreme poverty and global AIDS. I hope that with some time we can realize this blog’s potential.

While I have followed international poverty issues, I am in no way an expert. I have a lot to learn from all of you and with all of you.

A Closer Walk is the first film to address AIDS on a global scale. I want to watch it tonight, but it’s not playing in my area. (See your local PBS schedule here.) I’m counting on you to watch it and let me know what I’m missing.

Ps- If you want to read a press release about A Closer Walk, this is a link to an excellent one.