I believe in the power of pictures and good photojournalism. I grew up with Life Magazine and Look as well as National Geographic. I have worked as a photojournalist without much fame or money... so I have also worked other jobs in my life. But I keep a fire burning for great photojournalism and appreciate it when I see it.
The US Corporate Media and Military also appreciate the power of well done photojournalism. That's why they wanted the journalists and camera people "embedded" with the troops, so they could control what got out.
This diary is about two photojournalists who have taken truthful photos in Iraq. Both are Pultizer Prize winners. One is an Iraqui, and he was arrested and jailed over a year ago by the US Military and is still there, on false charges. The other is having his work shown, but much of the strongest has not been widely published.
The guy in jail, Bilal Hussein, works for the Associated Press. His crime? Taking photos of the "insurgents", showing the other side of the war.
The following is from a website that is being prepared by his fellow photojournalists as they attempt to gather public support to free Bilal.
On April 12, 2006, Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein was detained by the US Forces in Iraq and held in prison since.
No one has yet presented formal charges against Bilal who is behind bars for having the courage of photographing Iraqi insurgents. Bilal was part of an AP team who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for the coverage of the Iraq war.
His arrest and imprisonment are a serious affront to the press as a whole and to democratic traditions.
We, colleagues from around the world, are seriously concerned for his life in view of the amount of time he has been locked up and the prison conditions which he is being submitted to.
For these reasons we demand his immediate release.
Free Bilal Committee
I will post a link to the site when they have it ready.
Meanwhile, here is a link to one of his photos that was part of a group of shots by different fotogs that won AP a Pultizer in 2005.
Bilal Hussein Insurgents Mortar Photo
Associated Press President Tom Curley stands by his man. In an article written by Greg Mitchell in the April 23, 2007 issue of Editor and Publisher, Curley confronted Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, who has defended the detention of Hussein for more than a year.
"...this is not about Bilal Hussein. He is an innocent victim. It is about the Associated Press. We are the target. Freedom of the press is the target." He said that "where journalists are being picked up is in Anbar province. There has been an extreme effort to shut down coverage from an out-of-control place. That is what the facts show." stated Curley.
You can read the full article here Editor and Publisher Bilal Hussein article
Back in Amerika... Rick Loomis is a photographer who has also done powerful work in Iraq, as well as here at home. He works for the LA Times and is a US citizen. His web site is full of photos from his experience in Iraq. PBS affilliate KCET has a page on their site about Loomis KCET Loomis Page
The LA times, much to its credit, publsihed a good part of Loomis' work. But the number of Americans who have seen these photos is minuscule compared to the number who should be seeing exactly what our Decider hath wrought upon the Iraqui people and our own fellow Americans in uniform.
Here is a link to Loomis' personal web site Loomis Photography
Enter and look around. The photo essay that impacted me the most, and one that every dumb sob of a politician who voted for this gawdaful FUBAR we have gotten ourselves into, and especially those young chickenhawks, including Michelle Malkin and her ilk, should be forced to look at
is the one titled "New Battles".
Enter the site, hit the menu, hit the "Projects" button, then "New Battles". I wish that every SOB with a "Support the Troops" and Bush/Cheney bumpersticker would have to look at these shots as well.
That's my rant for the day. I will be posting more often than I have in the last year. I have been out of the country, gaining a totally different perspective on the USA and its place in the world.
For the record, I support Wes Clark for President. Maybe Edwards for Veep. The rest are too US centric in their world views. The balances and dynamic have changed. We live in a different world. The US is no longer the sole superpower, no matter how much we tell ourselves that.
If you want to see something positive that some young Americans (as well as some other folks from Sapin, UK, Poland and Hungary)are doing to make a positive difference, take at gander at my diary from yesterday. These folks are the exact opposite of the Young Chickenhawk generation. Heres the Link Miguel Mas Diary on Intrepid Idealists