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My Life’s Sentences by JHUMPA LAHIRI
Not all sentences end up in novels or stories. We encounter books at different times in life, often appreciating them, apprehending them, in different ways. But their language is constant. The best sentences orient us, like stars in the sky, like landmarks on a trail. But novels and stories consist of nothing but. Read more
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Interview: Hari Kunzru
Hari Kunzru was selected in 2003 as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists. Four books later he talks to Online Editor Ted Hodgkinson about his latest novel (a multistranded epic that interweaves stories from the 18th century with the present), the scandal surrounding News International, the recent riots across Britain and this boyhood dream of being abducted by UFOs. Read more
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How to Be Creative
The image of the ‘creative type’ is a myth. Jonah Lehrer on why anyone can innovate—and why a hot shower, a cold beer or a trip to your colleague’s desk might be the key to your next big idea.
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Literature and its influences: Mother, may I
How writers are made by their families.
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Fractious family relations may not be uncommon, yet the extent to which these writers—including W.B. Yeats, Thomas Mann, James Baldwin and John Cheever—managed to fight with their parents, siblings and children make arguments over the dinner table seem like a specialised art form. Read more -
Arab Spring Fails to Allay Women’s Anxieties
AMMAN — Like many Tunisians, Maroua Ben Salah, 23, never imagined that her life and her country would change so drastically in a matter of days… Read more
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How journalists use iPhones to create award-winning short films
Just about any documentary shot with a film crew and expensive equipment can make waves, but when you film award-worthy material solely on a mobile phone, that’s a feat.
Winners of the non-fiction category of the Original iPhone Film Festival prove journalists don’t need much to tell great stories.
These budding filmmakers used a variety of techniques to address the limitations of the hand-held, low-cost equipment.
First place winner Michael Guhil of the Philippines had never used an iPhone to film a story, much less for a non-fiction piece of work. Using the self-described “mobile studio in his pocket,” he tackled a real issue with a phone that wasn’t even his. Read More
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Why journalists need to link
Jonathan Stray has a great essay up at Nieman Lab entitled “Why link out? Four journalistic purposes of the noble hyperlink”. I basically agree with all of it; links are wonderful things, and the more of them that we see in news stories — especially if they’re external rather than internal links — the better.
It’s very easy to agree that if a story refers to some other story or document, and if that other story or document is online, then it should be hyperlinked. Read More
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How the Arab Spring has transformed journalism
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts: When what was expected to be a small protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square became massive and nationwide, journalists inside and outside Egypt were unprepared.
“No one anticipated January 25th,” said former director general of the Al Jazeera news network Wadah Khanfar at a February 24 talk at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on how social media used during protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square have permanently changed the journalism industry.
“Al Jazeera was overwhelmed,” Khanfar said. “We had maybe three to four correspondents on the ground. There was no way we could cover a movement that size.”
But, even as former President Hosni Mubarak threw journalists out of the country, a rich amount of material from the street began coming in over the Internet via Facebook and Twitter. Much of it, most of it—photos, videos, tweeted accounts—began to hit the Internet in almost real-time from participants, said Mohamed Nanabhay, head of Al Jazeera English Online, also on the forum’s panel.
Al Jazeera editors initially worried about how to authenticate the visual and verbal accounts suddenly pouring in, but decided the importance of the story in the face of their limited resources justified airing such citizen reports. Read More
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How to: submit a Freedom of Information request
When journalists are submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests they will often be keen to get a response as soon as possible, so it is key for the reporter to ensure their request is as good as it can be to avoid any delays.
This guide brings together advice from two journalists with extensive experience in requesting data under the FOI Act, as well as an FOI officer who will offer some pointers from the perspective of the person handling the request.
First let’s remind ourselves of the legislation. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 has been in force since 2005, and in a nutshell sets out the “general right of access to information held by public authorities”.
The Act goes into detail about the rights of the individual, and the requirements of public authorities when it comes to the requested disclosure of information, as well as the 23 exemptions which can mean disclosure being refused. There is also a helpful FAQ on the Act on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
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The alternative to your journalism CV
The journalism jobs market is still difficult and likely to stay that way for some time. What that means is every time you apply for a job, you’re competing against a large number of people.
You’ve been to university, got a journalism qualification of some kind and done some work placements. The problem: so has everyone else.
The common solution is to spend more time tweaking the CV: adding new things, rearranging the layout, sticking it on LinkedIn. But this is a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem.
Everyone else has a CV, but not everyone has the initiative to see the new publishing opportunities in front of us all, and to start something. Launching an online magazine, for example, and building a small, loyal community around great content. Or running a series of talks or events, or making that documentary. Read more
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College of Journalism Blog – A new BBC social media strategy for England
When it comes to journalists enjoying a close relationship with listeners, viewers and readers, it’s hard to beat local media.
Tell a story well, or badly, and you’ll soon hear direct from your audience – whether you’re out walking the same patch tomorrow or just standing in the chip shop queue.
So it’s not surprising that our teams in BBC English Regions have been embracing the immediacy and connectedness of social networking for some time – from Look North on Facebook and Dean Jackson’s The Beat on Twitter, to newsgathering experiments like BBC London’s award-winning deployment of Crowdmap during 2010′s Tube strikes.
But until now there’s never been a unified document for BBC staff bringing together these activities and our plans to push them forward. … Read More
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The AP Unveils Its First New Logo In 30 Years
The Associated Press is getting a makeover with a new website and its first new logo in 30 years… Read more
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Transformation of Palestinian landscape focus of Designing Civic Encounter project
Urban space, landscapes and experiences are at the center of a new multidisciplinary project focused on Palestine, in which artists, architects, environmentalists, academics and activists have come together to discuss the transformation of space in both Palestinian and other regional Arab cities… Read more
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Physical attacks on journalists reached record high in 2011 — report | The Jordan Times
AMMAN — Around 87 violations of press freedom took place in 2011 including an unprecedented number of physical assaults on journalists, according to a report issued by the Jordanian Media Monitor (JMM) on Sunday… Read more
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Syria Hit List Targets Thousands
A 718-page digital document obtained by Mother Jones contains names, phone numbers, neighborhoods, and alleged activities of thousands of dissidents apparently targeted by the Syrian government… Read more
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What Is Al Qaeda Doing in Syria?
Yesterday, Iraqi forces arrested the head of Ansar al-Sunna — an Iraqi insurgent group Iraqi leaders say has links with Al Qaeda — as he tried to enter the country through its border with Syria… Read more
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Afghans Build Peace, One Stanza at a Time
Usually, people who make important decisions for countries never live long enough to see the effects of their choices. It is almost always future generations who bear the burdens of the past. In 1978, the Chinese government created a political policy that would change the face of China. Under pressure to control a ballooning population in a country that was too poor to support it, the “One Child Policy” was created… Read more
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Cairo: My City, Our Revolution by Ahdaf Soueif – review
It was on the 15th day of the Egyptian revolution that I first encountered Ahdaf Soueif in Tahrir Square. She wore big round sunglasses that swallowed her face, and a dark scarf covered her head and fell over her shoulders. It would have been easy to dismiss her as just another spirited revolutionary, but a flock of fellow protesters grew around her, and followed her, and stuck… Read more
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Blame, Responsibility, and How We Talk About Syria – The Atlantic
In the corner of many Twitter avatars is a small Syrian flag. Whether pro-Assad, pro-opposition, or something else entirely, it is the same flag, the red, the white, the black, and two green stars… Read more
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Arab revolutions: How to set Syria free
Getting rid of Bashar Assad requires a united opposition, the creation of a safe haven and Western resolve… Read more
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Libya falters under weight of militias and rivalries
TRIPOLI, Libya — As the militiamen saw it, they had the best of intentions. They assaulted another militia at a seaside base here this week to rescue a woman who had been abducted… Read more
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My Syria, by ‘greatest living’ Arab Poet
He was the first Arab to win the German Goethe Prize last year at the age of 81, whose judges described him as “the most important Arab poet of our time,” and he was one of the favorites to win last year’s Nobel Prize for Literature… Read more
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BBC’s Arab Spring coverage
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The World Youth Report
In the aftermath of the economic crisis, the global youth unemployment rate saw its largest annual increase on record in 2009, resulting in around 75.8 million unemployed youth… Read more
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Fresh Air: Meryl Streep interview
Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts… Read more
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