Tribute to Anthony Shadid

Originally published on the Washington Post Website: 

Ever since I worked with him at the Post’s office in Baghdad, I knew every word he wrote was powerful. I learned his style and focused on how he asked questions. There was a meaning in everything he asked. That I took as the best journalism school ever.

Today, I’m heartbroken to hear that a world journalism icon passed away. Foreign correspondents like Shadid continue to pave the road for better and credible news coverage that no one can silence except death. Rest in Peace, Shadid. Your legacy continues and will never die as long as there are journalists who follow your path of revealing the absolute truth around the world.

The ‘infidels’ win once again

This time, the so-called “infidels” won the hearts and minds of many Iraqis who are relentlessly sharing a YouTube video of the Australian version of Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor, in which Iraqi war survivor Emanuel Kelly performs.

Emanuel, who doesn’t know his actual age because he was raised in an orphanage for disabled Iraqi children, was rescued and adopted by Children First Foundation director Moira Kelly along with his brother Ahmed after they both suffered from limb deficiencies as a result of chemical warfare in Iraq.

After I watched the clip in which Emanuel performs in the show’s auditions, all I was able to think of is how happy I am for him. He’s lucky he’s no longer in Iraq where orphans and the disabled are in most cases not treated as equal or in some cases as human beings.

Our Iraqi society, or the Arab society as a whole to be specific, has no mercy on disabled people. It’s harsh, non-accepting and degrading. Most people like Emanuel would end up being beggars on the streets.

New Project Makes News Gathering in the Arab World Take a New Turn

A lot of news organizations already know what “crowdsourcing” is. Some have already started using it. However, a new real-time crowdsourcing project is making news gathering take a new turn. “Alive.in” knows how!

“Alive.in” is a project launched by international news startup Small World News. The startup’s team is using a group of Arabic translators to crowdsource the translation of the real-time messages left on @speak2tweet, a service launched by Google and Twitter during the Jan. 25 revolution in Egypt, allowing callers to tweet by calling one of three numbers and leaving a voicemail.  

Founded by American journalist and media specialist Brian Conley, the project first started with crowdsourcing the Egyptian revolution news. When Conley learned about Google's collaboration with Twitter, he thought it’s time to put this service at a stronger use through Small World News, which he co-founded in 2005. The goal, according to the project’s website, is “to reach a wider audience.”

The End of the Oppression Era in the Arab World

The sounds and images of the Jubilations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square filled my heart with joy. I still cannot believe it is happening in my lifetime. Finally, Arab dictators are no longer in power and Arab peoples are more defiant than ever.

I’ve always been a proud Arab, even though my Arabism was flushed down the toilet throughout the last 30 years of my life due to the series of failure that hovered over the region up until the Tunisian revolution.

What happened in Tunisia revived hope in my heart that my fellow Arabs are now strong, defiant and willing to oust their dictators no matter what force they need to face.

It is about time! Throughout my 30 years of life, Arab dictators were mostly the same. They gathered at the useless Arab summits, “discussing” hot topics affecting the Arab “Homeland” and congratulating each other for the “successes” they had achieved throughout their decades-long presidencies.

All of that while Arab peoples were hungry, unemployed and oppressed.

Al Jazeera’s Success vs. the American News Networks’ Failure in Covering Tunisia

America was founded upon the principle of liberty and freedom, but guess who was covering the quest for freedom in Tunisia extensively yesterday? Al Jazeera, not the American news TV Networks!

I am utterly disgusted by how American TV channels have abandoned an important historic event of our time. Tunisian people took to the streets and toppled a Saddam-like totalitarian regime, but their voices and images from their revolution did not make it to the American viewers. CNN, FOX News and MSNBC were busy interviewing celebrities and discussing pet-related stories.

At work, I was able to follow Al Jazeera’s minute-by-minute coverage of the revolution through my iPhone. The Qatari network has an iPhone app that live broadcasts their news, in addition to its presence on Facebook, Twitter and Al Jazeera Blogs.

It was simply everywhere and for free!