I’ve never stopped loving Andy. He’s my son. He made a terrible mistake, which he will be paying for for the rest of his life, but that doesn’t make me stop loving him.

People often ask - why did you want to be a journalist? My answer has frequently been, “because I want to tell people’s stories. The stories of people who are rarely heard.” 

I think one excellent example of how journalism can tell open us to such worlds is  this Guardian feature about the parents of murderers. I found it a powerful, intense and personal read, and one that I would highly recommended to anyone …

My child, the murderer
What is it like to have a child who is a killer? Three parents tell their stories
Interviews by Christopher Goodwin and Simon Hattenstone
Read the full article here

I came across this fantastic collection of photos by Irish photographer Seamus Murphy in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. As we mark the 10th anniversary of the war, I thought this gallery was a good example about how life is continuing amidst the conflict and violence.  More on Seamus Murphy here and his planned documentary project here.

I came across this fantastic collection of photos by Irish photographer Seamus Murphy in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. As we mark the 10th anniversary of the war, I thought this gallery was a good example about how life is continuing amidst the conflict and violence. 

More on Seamus Murphy here and his planned documentary project here.

Murder - the leading cause of death among journalists in warzones

This statement from Article 19 about journalists in conflict zones is a good wrap on the dangers they face there, especially as we mark the 10th anniversary of the Afghan conflict. 

According to the Afghan non-governmental organisation Nai, the 10-year conflict has left 22 journalists dead, 6 of whom were women, and seen 23 journalists kidnapped. Nai’s figures for violence and intimidation against journalists runs into the hundreds.

… But a particularly disturbing trend is the specific targeting of journalists, their abductions or summary executions. Over the past five years, the leading cause of death among journalists in warzones has become murder.

Especially significant is the threat faced by local journalists - just look at the figures of the number of journalists killed in, for example, the Philippines and Mexico.

How to write a good journalism job application

Commonsense advice, but good nonetheless, and applicable across all industries, not just the media.

“Why most journalism job applications are ‘disappointingly poor’ - and how to ensure yours isn’t

There’s an awful lot written about how to apply for journalism jobs - but most of it comes from the applicants’ perspective. Instead, today we have a piece from a senior B2B editor on their recent recruitment process, and why most of the applications that came in were lacklustre at best.”

The best par is probably right at the end:

“After all, being a reporter is about being able to get a foot through the door, make an impression, collect information and present it to a reader in a concise, distinctive way. A job application is a chance to show an employer that you have these skills by telling a compelling story about yourself. Why miss it?”

Read more here.

Journalism is the new war game? That seems to be the case with this first-person-shooter game - “Warco” - by Brisbane developers Defiant Development. As Wired magazine succinctly puts it, “An FPS Where You Hold a Camera Instead of a Gun”.

The brief:

“Developed as a partnership between Brisbane, Australia based Defiant Development, filmmaker Robert Connolly and journalist Tony Maniaty, Warco is a videogame that examines the frontline from a new direction. 

In the role of war correspondent (‘warco’) Jesse DeMarco, the player must capture battle footage and edit together a news story, while trying to make it out alive.

All footage is taken from the proof of concept playable developed in UDK - all in game, barring the final news story which would be edited together by the player from the war footage they’ve captured.”

I’m not going to comment on whether such a game is a good or bad thing for the industry until I get the chance to play it, but here’s what creator Morgan Jaffit told Wired:

“It’s also about navigating through a morally gray world and making decisions that have human impact,” he explained. “It’s about finding the story you want to tell, as each of our environments is filled with different story elements you can film and combine in your own ways. It’s both a storytelling engine and an action adventure with a new perspective.”

Read the full interview here. An ABC interview with co-creator Tony Maniaty is also available here.

Nobody will pick them from the doormat wondering how the world has changed from the day before. They will be badges, evidence of their readers’ cultural or political tastes, with an artisanal-cheese kind of price that turns them from a habit into a hobby.

This quote, by veteran British newspaper man Ian Jack, is, of course, about newspapers. Much has been written about the possible demise of the print medium, which has been the source of some of the best journalism in the history of the news industry.

Jack’s op-ed in The Guardian is worth a read. It’s well-written and honest, and reflects on some of the strengths of newspapers - which will be lost if and when they die. 

He brings up some good points, for example about distribution:

“If one big publisher, say News International, withdrew from the pooled distribution arrangements then the increased cost for the rest could be fatal.”

And also about the possible demise of serious, especially investigative, journalism:

“Serious reporting could be the most serious casualty, because it’s expensive and present estimates of digital income won’t cover the costs of foreign correspondents and a well-staffed newsroom; philanthropic owners or a drastic reconfiguring of editorial budgets will certainly be required.”

Remembering September 11, 2001

I was watching the BBC’s coverage of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States an hour ago when they replayed the start of the “10 O’Clock News” in Britain, which of course led with footage of the Twin Towers collapsing. 

I realised how difficult it was (for me at least) to revisit the early horror and shock of what had just unfolded on live television at that time. But it also reminded me of this excellent online archive of some of that early news footage - “Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive”. This site, run by a non-profit organisation, has collected 3000 hours of television from 20 channels over seven days from September 11.

There’s also some good discussion on the website about how 9/11 was and is being covered, and how that tells us more about ourselves and our cultures and politics.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

11 plays

I’m a pretty light sleeper and there have been many times I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. But one of the blessings of waking up at these ungodly hours has been listening to the BBC World Service’s programme Witness. 

It’s an excellent collection of interviews with people who have experienced great moments in history. One interview which stuck out was a replay of a 1960 recording with Sergeant John Bridges. In it, he recalls his experience retreating from Dunkirk in 1940 during World War II. It’s a powerful and dramatic personal tale and I recommend it highly.

If you interested in learning more about Sergeant Bridges, London’s Daily Telegraph has an obituary of him here (he died in 2006 aged 87).  

Having posted on graphic novels before, I figured I should also write one on this excellent list of by The Atlantic: “Comic Books as Journalism: 10 Masterpieces of Graphic Nonfiction”. There are some promising-looking books listed, including Emmanuel Guibert’s The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders (pictured above) and The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz, Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon. I can’t wait to read them!

Having posted on graphic novels before, I figured I should also write one on this excellent list of by The Atlantic: “Comic Books as Journalism: 10 Masterpieces of Graphic Nonfiction”.

There are some promising-looking books listed, including Emmanuel Guibert’s The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders (pictured above) and The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz, Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon.

I can’t wait to read them!

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, June 2010. A guard stands guard at Tiananmen Square in front of a video display that features stunning images of Xinjiang in north-west China, along with the slogan “Xinjiang is a nice place”. Xinjiang is home to the Uighurs (love their food) and here’s a backgrounder on the place and the ethnic unrest that flares up there.  More of my China photos here.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, June 2010. A guard stands guard at Tiananmen Square in front of a video display that features stunning images of Xinjiang in north-west China, along with the slogan “Xinjiang is a nice place”. Xinjiang is home to the Uighurs (love their food) and here’s a backgrounder on the place and the ethnic unrest that flares up there. 

More of my China photos here.