by Andrew Burton
A protester in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in February wears a gag that reads, “Please leave,” addressed to then-president Hosni Mubarak. Photo by Andrew Burton.
When the Egyptian Revolution started on Jan. 25, I watched closely – the Tunisian protests had started and stopped fairly quickly, and I didn’t want to fly over only to have the events end while I was en route. However, by day five of the protesting in Cairo, things seemed to be in full swing, and I started emailing every editor I could think of, asking if they needed anyone working over there. In one conversation I had with an editor the person made it clear: While my work was good, I had no serious international news experience, and I hadn’t proven I could operate in a conflict zone...
[Keep reading...]
by Karen J. Coates
A young man scrapes dough in an industrial mixer at the 7 January Bread Company in Pnomh Penh. For 27 years, the factory has churned out thousands of loaves of French-style bread daily. Photo by Jerry Redfern.
I’m writing this story for free. I want to get that out of the way, right up front, because the bottom line these days is the top anxiety for any freelance journalist. Americans don’t like to talk money, but we journalists must. It’s not that we’re cheap, greedy or pernicious. We need to eat. And we’re slogging through a complete overhaul of this industry as we know it: dying papers (35,000 layoffs since 2007), dead magazines (428 lost in 2009; including my former employer, Gourmet) and blogs that ask our time and words for nothing but exposure. Freelancers can’t afford to write for free — unless personal interests compel us to tell a story that must be told.
[Keep reading...]
by Gwen Florio
Northern Alliance fighters move across the Panj River following retreating Taliban forces. --Karl Gehring, The Denver Post
Two scenes from Pakistan: I'm at a wedding in Islamabad, elaborate henna patterns wrapping my hands, bangles stacked on my forearms, a gauzy pink veil thrown over my head and shoulders. Women press close around me, voicing their anger at how the American bombing of neighboring Afghanistan has diminished this happiest of occasions – oh, and wouldn't I please have some more gulab jamun?
[Keep reading...]
