Some of the Washington Posts international correspondents really put some zest and feature feel into their stories. "In Darfur, a Journalist Branches Out" really reminds you of the persistence one takes to spread information in times ot war and conflict.
In El Fasher, a town in northern Darfur, a lucky few have the privilege of owning a satellite dish to watch BBC or CNN to know what is going on within the country. The rest who need their fill of information refer to a tree where Awatif Ahmed Isshag, a 24-year-old with an undergraduate degree in economics, posts her own news stories.
She describes journalism as a profession of risk, calling her paper casually “the world paper” but officially it is called Al Raheel. It means “moving”, which since 2003 describes the situation of the 2.5 million displaced within Darfur in refugee camps.
In response, the government armed nomadic tribesmen and launched a campaign of systematic violence. Experts estimate that as many as 450,000 people have died as a result of the fighting, though the government disputes the figure.
The people in her village that pass by the tree where she posts her stories have told her that the find her stories to be trustworthy than the stories issued from their government. She claims to be showing exactly what is happening in Darfur, and after being helped out by foreign officials, she has obtained a printer and fax machine.
"A message to people who are attacking," she said. "Don't send fire, send words. Words connect people."
Post Foreign Service Writer Stephanie McCrummen did a fanatical job of connecting the reader with Isshag’s life and her pursuit to never back down to reveal the truth through words. Despite the negative and depression stories coming out of this country, this one highlights the grassroots struggle within the boundaries.
The Post has an equally interesting special report on the current status in Darfur, with a new story about the crisis and refugees spilling over into Chad by staff writer Travis Fox, and provides some video footage and pictures of the area. These some 15,000 Chadians are barely surviving unsupported from aid by international humanitarian efforts. The written story can be found here.
Acts of journalism and journalism appear to be one in the same when all you have to do is survive the next night to get the word out, and you don’t have an establishment or staff to adhere to.
Onthemedia.org has an interesting interview with editor Brendan O’Neill of the British online journal Spiked about the racism behind the term calling the situation in Darfur a genocide.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment