Leaving Behind Something Good
While I am sitting here, in the cozy comfort of my Rome apartment, complaining for weeks about the horrors of writing about which shoes are must-have's for this years fashionistas, and what color is the THE NEW BLACK, other journalists are out there doing more.
Reporters Without Borders writes on what many of them are doing, the risks they take, their persecution as well as a cold reality tally of those who give everything, even their lives.
To date, in 2007, 75 journalists have been killed in the line of performing their duty, 43 of those in Iraq. Yesterday that number increased again, bringing the number to 76.
Salih Saif Aldin, a reporter for The Washington Post, originally from Tikrit, died while taking photographs in the volatile south-western Baghdad neighborhood of Sadiyah while covering the ongoing conflict in a section of the city plagued by violence.
Shot at close range, Saif Aiden was the 118th journalist killed since the start of the war, 100 of whom are Iraqi nationals trying to get the word out about what is happening in their war-torn beleaguered country.
In my line of journalism, the worst I have to worry about is a corked bottle of wine or being snubbed by a haughty fashion atelier. “Getting the word out” for me means writing a travel guide with the hot shopping spots or making a wine recommendation. It doesn’t mean that my son or daughter loses a parent.
Saif, a determined risk taker, is quoted to have said 'What's life, really, if we don't leave something good behind us?'
Maybe that good is his six year old daughter.
Maybe that good is his reminder to all of us writers that there are more important things to be complaining about than word count rates, slow paying invoices, or boring assignments.
Maybe that good, is that I feel sad. Sad because before I could even finish writing this blog post and verifying facts, that number increased yet again.
Salih Saif Aldin was 32 years old.
The second victim is said to have worked for the newspaper Salahaddin. His name hasn’t been released yet.
Update....
17 October 2007
Number 77
The second journalist mentioned in this blog post was Eyad Tariq Al-Takriti, an editor of al-Watan, a weekly newspaper in Tikrit. Eyad was killed along with two security guards for his news organization after dropping off a colleague at the airport.
Reporters Without Borders writes on what many of them are doing, the risks they take, their persecution as well as a cold reality tally of those who give everything, even their lives.
To date, in 2007, 75 journalists have been killed in the line of performing their duty, 43 of those in Iraq. Yesterday that number increased again, bringing the number to 76.
Salih Saif Aldin, a reporter for The Washington Post, originally from Tikrit, died while taking photographs in the volatile south-western Baghdad neighborhood of Sadiyah while covering the ongoing conflict in a section of the city plagued by violence.
Shot at close range, Saif Aiden was the 118th journalist killed since the start of the war, 100 of whom are Iraqi nationals trying to get the word out about what is happening in their war-torn beleaguered country.
In my line of journalism, the worst I have to worry about is a corked bottle of wine or being snubbed by a haughty fashion atelier. “Getting the word out” for me means writing a travel guide with the hot shopping spots or making a wine recommendation. It doesn’t mean that my son or daughter loses a parent.
Saif, a determined risk taker, is quoted to have said 'What's life, really, if we don't leave something good behind us?'
Maybe that good is his six year old daughter.
Maybe that good is his reminder to all of us writers that there are more important things to be complaining about than word count rates, slow paying invoices, or boring assignments.
Maybe that good, is that I feel sad. Sad because before I could even finish writing this blog post and verifying facts, that number increased yet again.
Salih Saif Aldin was 32 years old.
The second victim is said to have worked for the newspaper Salahaddin. His name hasn’t been released yet.
Update....
17 October 2007
Number 77
The second journalist mentioned in this blog post was Eyad Tariq Al-Takriti, an editor of al-Watan, a weekly newspaper in Tikrit. Eyad was killed along with two security guards for his news organization after dropping off a colleague at the airport.
posted by ~Sparrow | Monday, October 15, 2007
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