Archive for the ‘Shoptalk’ Category
With this death, losing a way of seeing — and being in — the world
Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, two eminent photographers and journalists, were killed yesterday in Libya. I’d learned about Tim’s work from Glenna Gordon, whose talent and practice has been heavily influenced by Tim’s own. Glenna pays moving tribute to Tim’s work here. And on the Lens Blog at the New York Times, former West Africa [...]
Sometimes, even newspapers call it like it is
Via the indefatigable @blakehounshell, this amazing moment of journalistic honesty — in the URL, not the story. (Though the story’s pretty funny.) http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/utter-PR-fiction-but-people-love-this-shit-so-fuck-it-lets-just-print-it-2269573.html UPDATE: Oh, damn. Well, still funny: @Blak Hounshell Re: Independent article: RT @michaelrundle: False alarm — you can type anything into Indie URLs before the number.html bit.
Of peacebuilding, debt relief, and other professional fun
It’s been quiet here lately, as I work too much and then sleep it off. But here’s what’s been going on: I have a lengthy feature article on the UN Peacebuilding Commission in the Christian Science Monitor magazine. This is one of the pieces that comes out of my three-month, four-country reporting trek last summer [...]
Let’s play, “Why is this news?”
In this report from Uganda (slow down! 20 clicks a month!) we learn that: A man tried to steal a motorcycle in Kampala. A crowd gathered. They beat him. Then they set him on fire. Then the police showed up, and they fired into the crowd. Maybe they meant it to be a warning shot. [...]
Why you should pay for the New York Times
So as of March 28, my favorite past-time and yours (to judge from what I can infer of my readership) is about to get expensive. No more critiquing the New York Times for free. It’s gonna cost at least $15 a month. That’s to read it online and on your mobile phone. It’s $25 to [...]
Can pay-for-performance save US Aid? Why Tina Rosenberg didn’t convince me
Tina Rosenberg trumpeted Cash on Delivery (CoD) in 1500 words in the New York Times recently, and I’m really confused about why. Here’s the summary: Aid is inefficient and forward-paid. Cash-on-delivery is paying for results once you’ve seen them. Aid should do that. (I don’t think aid works exactly the way Rosenberg describes so simply, [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [