Nieman Reports

Spring 2007

Afghanistan: Stories Come Back Into View

Cover for Spring 2007

I feel sad that Afghanistan is back in the news. … Afghanistan was never going to become Sweden, but had the world really been committed to rebuilding it after 2001, and not been distracted by Iraq, then the return of Western journalists to report again on another war might never have been necessary.

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Afghanistan: Stories Come Back Into View

Spring 2007: Introduction

By International Journalism March 15, 2007

Caught in a fierce Taliban ambush while traveling last summer with coalition troops in southern Afghanistan, (London) Sunday Times foreign correspondent Christina Lamb writes about her escape from death, her second one while on assignment in that country. “Once … Read more

Photo Gallery

By International Journalism March 15, 2007

I learned photography in my father’s studio in Kabul. Under Taliban rule I was arrested five times for "photograph related crimes" and for cutting my beard. I taught the first course at Aïna Photo, teaching students how to use the … Read more

Photo Gallery

By International Journalism March 15, 2007

When I joined Aïna Photo, I was its oldest member (at 40), and I probably still am. I was the only person to successfully film a documentary on the Taliban among the Hazara minority located in central Afghanistan. I spent … Read more

Avian Flu, A Pandemic & the Role of Journalists: Excerpts From a Conference

Spring 2007: Avian Flu Introduction

By Journalist’s Trade March 15, 2007

"The Next Big Health Crisis—And How to Cover It" brought journalists together with scientists, public health officials, medical experts, academic researchers, law enforcement officers, public policy experts, and Homeland Security officials to talk about how best to prepare for the possible arrival of pandemic flu. Read more

The Terror of Disease

By Journalist’s Trade March 15, 2007

John M. Barry concludes his book, “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History,” with the following haunting words. There was terror afoot in 1918. The randomness of death, its speed, and its tendency to kill … Read more

Understanding the Risk

By Journalist’s Trade March 15, 2007

To communicate with people about risk, journalists need to better understand how and why people respond in the ways they do to messages they receive about danger. An expert in risk communication explains the connection between risks that kill people and those that upset them, and he describes how best to approach audiences based on their beliefs about the risks they face. Read more

Communicating News of an Outbreak

By and Journalist’s Trade March 15, 2007

For those who will bear the responsibility of communicating to journalists during an outbreak of pandemic flu, the preparation comes in the daily exchanges they are having already with reporters and in working internally to establish guidelines for how best to get information out to the public in ways that are trustworthy and timely. Read more

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