I happened to catch part of the alter-ego-of-Bill-O'Reilly show tonight. He went off on how the media's job of reporting on Iraq is too "easy" -- all you do is plug in a death toll and throw in some background, was his point, I guess. I don't blame him, in some ways, since it's easy to become apathetic or even tired of hearing about the violence in a country far, far away. But at the same time, what he said obviously hit me in a very personal way. I wonder how my articles will be perceived or read. Will they just be formulaic and mundane -- and even if they are not, will people simply gloss over the headline and not read the story?
I guess I'd be naive to think that it wouldn't be the case for at least a good chunk of readers. Before finding out I was going to Iraq, I paid a decent amount of attention to what was going on over there, but there were definitely times when I simply didn't feel like reading about the latest bombing. So how can I blame others... or Colbert?
This all leads to the question: What, if anything, can I do in my stories to bring to life the significance, or, perhaps more importantly, the anecdotal, real life experience that Iraqis endure? It'll be a thought I'll be mulling arond in my head.
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In today's Seattle Times there was an interesting article about how a little girl was hurt in a car bombing and then her life was saved by an American soldier http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003808094_iraqrescue27.html. The article brought out the human side of the conflict and raised some interesting questions about why did this Iraqi family return to Iraq and why does this American soldier see Iraq as a hellhole. In normal News, we don't really hear about the human side of what is happening. I would like to see more of these kinds of articles. I feel these kind of articles promote understanding.
Chuck Collins
When I read your question this popped into mind. I'm not sure if you'll think it relevant, but there you are:
"No man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."- C. S. Lewis
Blessings, Jamile
Hey Chris.
So sorry to have missed your farewell on Saturday. I was working.
If I had been there, I would have said the following to you in person: I know you'll be fine and I know you'll come back with some incredible stories. I know you'll do this assignment justice, and I can't wait to read your first Baghdad byline.
Stay safe.
Corinne
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