Braving the odds for one Korea dream

By Manzie Vincent Doh, in Beijing, China, for Silent Heroes, Invisible Bridges
Bir yıl önce ICFJ Anywhere temalı bir Uluslararası Gazetecilik Merkezi projesi üzerinde çalışan üç gazeteci Pakistan’da yaşayan ve geçimlerini binlerce Pakistanlıya yüksek gelirli işler bulmak aracılığıyla sağlayan Suriyeli bir aileye dair ilham verici bir hikayeye imza attılar. O haber, amacı sadece önyargıları sona erdirmek olan, Silent Heroes, Invisible Bridges (Sessiz Kahramanlar, Görünmez Köprüler) isimli ilham verici bir haber servisini başlattı. Bir web sitesi üzerinden yürütülen servisin amacı kültürler arası “köprüler inşa eden” Suriyeli aile gibi “sessiz kahramanlara” ilişkin daha fazla insan öykülerine imza atarak dünyanın dört bir yanından basın kuruluşlarına bu haberleri ücretsiz olarak kullanmaları üzere iletmek...
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Spring at last!

Tunisia’s historic first free and fair general elections, achieving a turnout rate many did not expect at all, are being regarded as exemplary by the international observers.

While the top three winning parties have accepted the results, vocal residents of Sidi Bouzaid have expressed anger the at the election authorities. The town is difficult to ignore as it is none other than the birthplace of the uprising that ousted Zine el Abidine Ben Ali from power in January.

In an election laden with surprises, the electorate brought forth the man and his party the longtime Tunisian dictator hated the most. Two decades of exile could not dampen charisma of Rashid al-Ghannushi amongst the Tunisian public. Ennahda, dubbed as a moderate Islamic party, bagged the 42 per cent of the total votes.

Tiny North African Muslim nation seems to be on the rampage, belying one stereotype against Arabs as well as Muslims after another. In a stunning rebuke, Arabs not only protested for their democratic right but also paid the heaviest price. Analysts feared election process may be faulty and rigged: Tunisia proved the otherwise.

The Arab dictators scared the West ~Read more

Towards ending prejudice thru media

By HJ Cummins in Washington DC, United States, for ICFJ

A year ago, three journalists in an ICFJ Anywhere course produced an inspiring story about a Syrian family in Pakistan whose life’s work has been to find jobs – and good incomes – for thousands of their new countrymen.

A year ago, three journalists in an ICFJ Anywhere course produced an inspiring story about a Syrian family in Pakistan whose life’s work has been to find jobs – and good incomes – for thousands of their new countrymen.

It all began as a project for one of the International Center for Journalists’ many online courses, Reporting Across Cultures: Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age. Working as a team, Naveed Ahmad, from Pakistan, Alia Turki Al-Rabeo, from Syria, and Ruzanna Tantushyan, ~Read more

In the 10th year after 9/11 attacks and a day prior to terrorist attack in Norway, Pew Research Center released its survey,Trends in Muslim-Western Perception, among 14,000 people in 14 nations, on perceptions about religions and cultures.

“One note of agreement between Westerners and Muslims is that both believe Muslim nations should be more economically prosperous than they are today. But they gauge the problem quite differently. Muslim publics have an aggrieved view of the West – they blame Western policies for their own lack of prosperity.”