Abdul-Ahad’s recent series from Iraq is moving and deeply saddening. In this clip, he raises a question that I haven’t seen covered elsewhere. The real loss in Iraq, he says, will be when this generation of children grow up, since these children will have grown up with sectarian violence, killing, and massive displacement due to war and uncertainty.
The correspondence is deeply sentimental, but the perspective is one that is seldom seen.
I’ve just learned of a heinous crime perpetrated by six men and women in West Virginia. The details of case are harrowing, but what I’ve been wondering since I read the story is why this hasn’t been covered more widely, especially by the New York Times or many other mainstream newspapers. The AP is covering the story, but I’m staggered something like this isn’t more important, say as much as Britney’s custody hearing.
NYU’s Journalism Department put out a list of “The Best American Journalism of the 20th Century.” “Best of ” lists are almost always missing something central. This list could better be “best literary journalism,” but then would Murrow’s “Investigation of Sen. Joseph McCarthy” qualify?
I taught Hersey’s Hiroshima for an undergraduate class in “Forms of Non-Fiction.” Even by today’s standards, Hersey’s descriptions are graphic. Whether they help students be more empathetic or critical, is perhaps a different story.