Today, on the first day of 2023, I begin a new adventure. My full-time hire date at the University of Georgia was listed as January 1. I found that curious for all the obvious reasons. Few people actually work on New Year’s Day; even fewer when it falls on a Sunday. And most certainly, …
On the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, I called a man who lost his son in Baghdad for a story I was writing for CNN. Anniversaries of tragedies, he told me, were for people who did not suffer. What he meant is that every day is an anniversary for those who have lost loved …
Continue reading “Of anniversaries and the stories that really matter”
This morning, the University of Georgia felt post-apocalyptic. The day after disaster, a lot of folks were regretting too many beers and mason jar glasses of vino verde as they tried to make sense of their team’s unraveling. How did Georgia blow its first chance since 1980 to win the national college football championship? But we soldiered …
Continue reading “Yeah, we were bummed but we soldiered on at Georgia”
I woke up to extremely sad news today. NPR photojournalist David Gilkey was killed in Afghanistan, along with interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna. Another friend who worked tirelessly in the world’s most difficult places, gone. David and Zabihullah were traveling with an Afghan army unit, according to the report I heard on NPR this morning. They came under …
Continue reading “David Gilkey: remembering an incredible photojournalist”
Lost in the diversity controversy at the Oscars Sunday night was this: The only woman of color who won was Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Who? That’s the problem. Very few people in America know who she is. But they ought to. Obaid-Chinoy, 37, has two Academy Awards to her name; her latest was in the best documentary …
I had a dream last night. It was the same one I’ve had since August 20, when I learned of Jim Foley’s death. A man in black holds a small knife in his left hand. He is too cowardly to show his face. But he holds up Jim’s face. For the world to see. I …
A few months ago, my friend and colleague Lateef Mungin died quite suddenly. This morning, more shocking news awaited me. CNN photojournalist Sarmad Qaseera passed away. He was 42. Here’s the thing. Like Lateef, Sarmad was always smiling, always cracking jokes. His joy in life was infectious. I never heard him get bitter like so …
Continue reading “Courage in journalism, Part II: RIP, Habibi”
Honoring the courage and fortitude of James Foley today. Rest in peace. I had intended to write more about him but words are failing me now. So I am posting a few links for you. I hope you will think about how so many journalists put themselves in harm’s way so that you may know …
We lost another amazing journalist today. Anja Niedringhaus, 48, an acclaimed photographer for the Associated Press, died instantly after an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan, the AP said. Correspondent Kathy Gannon was wounded and is in stable condition in hospital. “Anja and Kathy together have spent years in …
When I first started out in my career as a reporter, most of the journalists I admired were from America or Europe. There were very few English-language journalists in my homeland who really stood out. Khushwant Singh was an exception. Singh died Thursday at his home in Delhi. He was 99 and by all accounts, …
Continue reading “With Malice Toward One and All. A legendary writer is silenced”
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