Life In The Shadows

This was made 2 years ago. Doesn't feel like it. So much has happened but it still feels like yesterday.

Things haven't got any better. Quite the opposite. They are much worse.

Here is the original text that went with the video..

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It's the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War and with talk of it not being even half-way through, we are approaching the 4000th American combat death.

More importantly, a recent World Health Organization report based on Iraqi Health Ministry figures estimated that 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed between March 2003, the start of the invasion, and June 2006.
Many of the reports of civilian deaths are disputed. What cannot be argued, however, is another grave consequence of the Iraq War: the displacement crisis as a mass exodus of Iraqis flee the instabilities and ever-increasing sectarian violence at home, tearing their families apart.

In mid-January 2008, with the support of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR), I traveled to Amman, Jordan to photograph and record a few of these families trapped in a no-man’s land; asylum seekers looking for refuge, too afraid to return to their blood-soaked country.

Here are a few of their stories.

Life In The Shadows

Some Bloggers Are Journalists. And some are not.

I just got an email from a friend working in Iraq. He's stuck in Mosul waiting for a helicopter to Kirkuk. Must have been months since I last heard from him.

I sent an email to him last night half expecting him to be locked in some farmhouse on the outskirts of Baghdad handcuffed to a bed. It's happened before. I don't expect him to be quite so lucky next time.

Anyway, he's not kidnapped, just delayed.

He's an old time 'proper' Journalist. He's mastered shorthand, always keeps his notebooks and is one of the finest writers I know.

He knows Arabic.

He files stories and photos for a Middle Eastern newspaper. He get's the job done. Well.

He told me he looked at my 'stuff' online and is not sure if he has been left behind. "It seems pretty interesting and weird and, well, very modern (there are things I've never heard of..)

We came from the same daily newspaper in Northamptonshire and spent our last paid holiday on assignment in Egypt and Sudan before quitting work together.

We then took different paths. I don't think he realises how those few times working together influenced me. Thanks to him I know there is a right way of doing things. I may not choose that way myself but I know it's there.

In amongst my manic postings on multimedia platforms, occasionally there is something a little more polished, a little more in depth. Often I rely on the viewer or reader to bring their opinion, thoughts, conversation to the mix. Mostly I spew content into the streams without tagging, captions or any kind of context. Maybe I see documenting as more of an art form than providing information or an official record.

I have all the tools I need and more. Perhaps if I thinned out my social media toolkit I would solidify my content. Less of a scatter gun more of a missile.

Still, I am glad I took this path and am sure it will be an amalgamation of social technology and the 'old ways' that shape the future of Journalism.

If my friend knew that what I did was easy, he'd be unstoppable. Any journalist with an iota of imagination can pick up these tools and apply them to the way they work. The benefits are massive. As long as we don't loose sight of our truths and see those truths as something to be shared on mass whatever the repercussions.

Maybe I will show him. A decent journalist works for the good of us all. A great one needs protecting and allows us a datum. It reminds us that some bloggers are journalists. And some are not.

I mostly blog at OurManInside.com

I Am Not A Terrorist

I am posting this photo to help raise awareness on the on-going crackdown on photographers in the UK, US and Europe.
 
More info on www.not-a-crime.com/
 
I also blogged about this same issue last year.. ourmaninside.com/2008/06/04/do-i-look-like-a-terrorist/
 
I didn't post this to the flickr group as i didn't feel it fit all of the criteria.

this is me..

Iraqi Refugees: Life in the Shadows

It's over six years since the beginning of the Iraq war, and the troubles continue. To date, over 4,000 American soldiers have been killed in combat.

While the loss of combat troops is certainly tragic, even more stunning is the World Health Organization report based on Iraqi Health Ministry figures which estimates that 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed between March 2003, the start of the invasion, and June 2006.

Many of the reports of civilian deaths are disputed. What cannot be argued, however, is another grave consequence of the Iraq War: the displacement crisis as a mass exodus of Iraqis flee the instabilities and ever-increasing sectarian violence at home, tearing their families apart.

Early last year, with the support of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR), I traveled to Amman, Jordan to photograph and record a few of these families trapped in a no-man's land; asylum seekers looking for refuge, too afraid to return to their blood-soaked country.

Here are a few of their stories:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

[This film is dedicated to the memory of my Mother Liala Payne. Two weeks before I left for Jordan I explained my plans. She was proud and answered as she always did when i told her about a trip abroad.. Simply "Take care". Without her giving me the freedom she did as I was growing up I would not be the person I am now. I am sorry she did not get to see these stories. She died suddenly as I was due to leave. I flew out a week after we laid her to rest.]