At War, at Home, at Risk, NYT
Amazing article about a “fixer” (local that foreign reporters would hire to explain culture, translate, etc.) who worked for the BBC in Iraq and then came to Columbia Journalism School. First tremendous set of points relates to the explanations of the initial excitement of events in Iraq as he assisted in the reporting of the news back to the west. Also notable is discussion of how the western reporter explained to the author how the fixer would become the journalist once the western media ebbed. How accurate, I believe that the fixers, interpreters, and youngest of Iraq Army Officers will be the one who get it, understand western efficiencies and will be the ones to bring true revolution Iraq many days form now. Last point is the struggles of the fixer in NYC trying to understand our local issues, that of a political race (horse race or track race, he wonders) and his struggle to understand. I take that as an implication of the struggle western reporters must have had to understand roots of issues in Iraq.
