noodlepie

Becoming a freelance foreign correspondent

It may have made me feel rather old, but I did enjoy this Frontline Club discussion with a group of young freelance foreign correspondents who have spent the best part of the last year or two reporting from various parts of the Middle East.

Plenty of good tips in here about what to do before you go and when you're there. One overriding piece of advice the panel gave and which equally applies to the blog world is - go somewhere you're passionate about.

And it's true. Although, it's equally true that some places can grow into a passion once you're there. Having said that, it's the passion that'll get you through the shitty times you'll inevitably endure.

The discussion is also available as a podcast - have a dig around in here - it's dated 1/16/12.

 

Photographing a biogas powered prison in Rwanda

I visited Nsinda prison in Rwamagana district in eastern Rwanda a few weeks ago. I wanted to see how they use biogas to power the prison kitchen. The prison utilises the prisoner's waste to produce the gas to cook the food that the prisoner's eat that makes the waste that produces the gas that... very yin-yang. I filed a report for Reuters. I also produced a slideshow for the BBC, which was published today. If you're interested in how a poo powered prison works, take a look.

The Ricoh GRDIII one year on

No regrets at all in buying the Ricoh GRDIII a little over a year ago. It makes me look like an almost OK photographer. The slideshow set above was made entirely on the GRDIII. I've been slowly adding images to the set over the past year.

I'm only posting this now as I have been asked to supply an image for the cover of a book about Rwanda. I spent a few hours yesterday reviewing some of the photos I've taken with this pocket-sized wonder over the past year. They're now at the publisher for review.

Ricoh recently announced it will be releasing an updated version, the Ricoh GRDIV. It looks pretty much the same, but the engine inside is slightly different. If you're in the market for a compact, but powerful camera, you might want to hold off and grab a secondhand, or old stock, GRDIII. I certainly have no need to upgrade.

Meanwhile, fellow former-Saigonite Dave Hagerman has a good run through of the GRDIII. Photographer Paul Giguere has a detailed review, including all the personal settings he uses. Lastly, I found this post by Wouter Brandsma very useful when deciding to buy this camera.

that correspondent's job

 

Over the last two years in Rwanda I've been approached by a number of media outlets about working for them. However, apart from the occasional feature here and there, I've always declined any deeper relationship. Until now. When Reuters came calling about a foreign correspondent's gig in Rwanda, I think they got me just at the right time.

When I first moved here to Rwanda, I wanted my focus to be kigaliwire, photos and getting to know the people and the place. After two years, I wouldn't say I know the place, but I hope I have a better handle on things than I did when I first arrived in 2009.

So, briefly, here are the reasons I decided to take the job with Reuters as their correspondent in Rwanda.

• opens doors - blogging is great, but try getting an interview with someone for your... blog. Then, try doing the same thing with a big name behind you. Completely different story.
• photos - far more opportunities to get out and photograph people, places and stories. I might sell some snaps - not many, I suspect - the rest will go on the blog.
• journalism - I may be old-fashioned, but I still believe it's important.
• rust - I've spent a lot of time teaching journalists over the last six years or more. It's about time I shook off a bit of the rust and did a bit of journalism again. It can only help the teaching end of things in the long run. Not to mention, credibility.
• freedom - I've been given me a lot of freedom, "Our Rwanda file rather stagnated over the last year, so it is yours to do with as you like" is what I was told soon after I filed my first few stories.
• more freedom - Reuters are happy for me to continue training for the likes of the BBC.
• yet more freedom - they're happy for me to continue kigaliwire, in fact I'm beginning to think of ways the two could compliment each other.
• how stuff works - I know how a one-man newswire works with kigaliwire, now I get to learn how a big newswire works from the inside.
• security - having a big name behind you helps with security. I'll be going on a Hostile Environment Training course in October on their shilling. Something I simply could never have considered as an independent.
• cash - a steady paycheck is something I haven't known since the late nineties. Journalism may pay less than journalism training, but it pays on time, at the end of every month (I hope).

A few early observations:

• These days, I make sure my phone is always charged.
• Most day to day communication is done over Google Chat, breaking news is filed over the phone or Google Chat. Other pieces via email.
• Once a week I have to come up with four or five story ideas. As a result, I'm juggling five or six stories at any one time.
• To see how the editing process works when my stories reach the bureau in Nairobi has been an eyeopener - Reuters style is rather particular. It will take a while to adjust.
• I have a "ready bag" to go at a moment's notice, mostly with this stuff inside.
• I can see it's going to take me some time to learn about the financial reporting side of things. It's another bloody language.

I'm making the rest of it up, unlike the stories, as I go along.

Going it alone as a foreign correspondent

Frontline club - solo foreign correspondent

View more slideshows from Graham Holliday

I was asked to give a presentation at the (ace) Frontline Club in London about going it alone as a foreign-based, foreign correspondent. Having never worked for the wire news services, or worked in a conflict zone, I felt like a complete fake... However, I hope I did bring something to the mix with my knowledge of doing it from the ground up; pitching, pitching and pitching some more, then blogging, blogging and blogging some more, before moving into the training and consultancy sphere. If you're interested in going it alone, I hope the above presentation will give you a good - practical - head start.

Encouraged by the really, rather good Carl Parkinson, I've also embedded the video to the entire discussion below. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there in person. I recorded my presentation in the red room at the Frontline Club while staring into a computer screen trying to sound... engaging... However, I was already back in Kigali by the time of the event at the Club. Anyway, enjoy or otherwise...

Borrowed content or borrowed time?

The Guardian newspaper announced today that it is open to partnering media and technology bloggers in a content sharing deal. There are a couple of options. The first is non-commercial,

One is a non-commercial content-sharing arrangement, swapping, say, one or two stories a week. A partner blog runs independently, but the Guardian has the right to republish on guardian.co.uk chosen articles on our site up to the swap limit. Bloggers can republish the same number of Guardian articles in return. link

To my mind this first option misses the whole point of the web.

There's little to no point republishing something from a blog, in it's entirety, on another site.

Picking out threads of conversation, linking to those threads, adding context, opinion and further insight - which The Guardian is often extremely good at is where the value for the readers is.

Republishing a la cut and paste robot - well, it's just a bit crappy and smacks of desperation for audience grab on The Guardian's part.

After all, the Graun is only interested in "five figure" bloggers. They don't want any old tat. And, having been a five figure blogger, at least for a while, I simply don't think I would need The Guardian to throw me chicken feed.

As for being allowed to re-publish Guardian articles in their entirety on my own blog... Why would I ever want to do that? If my blog is a five figure blog, it's a five figure blog exactly because I provide original insight, thoughts and wotnot that people want to link to and discuss. I doubt many five figure bloggers are cut and paste merchants.

And, one other thing. What's to stop me cutting and pasting Guardian articles willy-nilly anyway?

Then, there's the second option,

There's a second more commercial possibility, where the Guardian (acting in the fashion of an ad network like Glam Media) maybe able to sell advertising for bloggers' sites. Again, blog sites continue to host themselves and retain editorial control. However, by forming a network, each site is able to achieve higher advertising rates than they would alone. Anybody who has relied on Google Ad Sense for income will know exactly how disappointing selling ads that way can be. There may be other possibilities in the future. We may also be able to host some bloggers on the guardian.co.uk site

So maybe you'll make some cash, maybe not. Maybe there'll be some other possibilities somewhere down the line, maybe not. Maybe you move your blog to The Guardian, maybe not. Maybe, there's not a whole lot of a plan here. Maybe, this is another half-baked Guardian experiment that'll soon get canned when the commercials don't add up.

Look, this isn't the first time this has been attempted. Asia Correspondent does much the same thing in, what appears to be a more professional manner, with it's hybridnews model. Then there's AOL-pwned Huffington Post... But, The Huffington Post this maybe-maybe model is not.

In addition, I'm not sure The Guardian will really be able to emulate what a five figure blogger can probably do on their own, if it's advertising dollars they're after.

I happily used BlogAds for a couple years - earned around US$2,000 or more in a good year as I remember. And I've used Google Adsense, with similar results, at least in 2006. Will The Guardian really be able to pay $4,000 ++ per year, per blogger through networked ad revenue on a maybe-maybe business model? I seriously doubt it.

I'm not sure padding out a newspaper website with borrowed content is the way to go for a serious publication trying to break even. This smacks of an audience numbers game. Maybe the Daily Mail's online rise and rise has given them the willies.

Guardian.co.uk also deserves plaudits for being the world's fifth most popular online newspaper. It too has a strong presence in the United States. Its problem is that The Guardian is losing a great deal of money, and its circulation has been slipping, so that Guardian.co.uk's editorial prowess is somewhat overshadowed by the financial difficulties of the mother ship. link

but, what's the business model?

What's the business model? I guarantee that's always the first question I get asked whenever I deliver a lecture to journalism students about social media, blogs and publishing kigaliwire.

Simple answer is, I don't have one. At least not one you can easily plan for/quantify/stick in an excel sheet and say X + Y = $$$$. I don't work that way. It's more about transparency, visibility, connections and being reasonably good at what you do.

For the benefit of wannabehacks and business model seekers the world over, I thought I'd try and quantify the opportunities and connections I have made since August, 2009 as a direct result of Kigaliwire.

Note: As a full-time freelance, I also solicit work. However, for the purposes of "quantifying" - none of what's listed below was solicited. This is only stuff that "came" to me.

• Photos for AfrikaPost magazine in Germany.
• Photos and story for BBC Focus on Africa magazine.
• Photos for CNN slideshow.
• Photos for a report for a large, international NGO.
• Speaking gig with IREX in Rwanda.
• Speaking gig with the Rwanda Project.
• Photo assignment in DR Congo with a large, international charity.
• Photo assignment in northern Rwanda for a U.S. NGO.
• Possible training gigs with two government bodies.
• Foreign correspondent gig for two very well-known newswires.
• $1,000 per month part-time gig writing/editing/designing an NGO newsletter.
• Current Intelligence online magazine editorial role.
• Foreign correspondent gig for a weekly subscription newsletter in the U.S.
• A Q&A roughly every other month or so with researchers/consultancy companies.
• Q&A with Global Voices.
• Driver/Muzungu fixer
• At least 10 lectures at UK universities and across the BBC.
• Photos for a UK-based architectural consultancy.
• Discussions with three mainstream media outlets about working as a foreign correspondent.
• Offered speaking gig with a UK Ministry in London.
• On average, around 1 NGO per week contacts me about something - normally PR for them, but sometimes work for me.
• A journalist or editor I've never met contacts me roughly every week or two.
• Invites to various events & debates both in Rwanda and overseas.

I've probably forgotten a few things from this list, but you get the general idea. Also, I didn't end up taking on all of the work offers and wotnot mentioned. Also, not all of these opportunities were paid and not all of them ended up panning out. However, in a nutshell,

If you've got the drive, you're reasonably talented, you go somewhere odd, meet lots of people, get to know your patch, keep a blog, tweet a bit too, then - at least in my experience - stuff comes your way.

Originally posted over there, but seemed to make sense here too.

A Million Shillings - Escape from Somalia

Alixandra Fazzina's book "A Million Shillings Escape from Somalia" documents the journey of mostly Somali refugees from Somalia to Yemen by sea. It took Fazzina, a photojournalist with Noor Images, two years to document the story which took her through Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen.

It's an extraordinarily powerful piece of journalism. Just 1 in 20 escapees survive a journey in which they are often dumped 2 km from the Yemeni shore by the human traffickers who take a million Somali shillings, or £50 for each passenger.

Even if they do make it to Yemen or on to Saudi Arabia, the lives of the survivors are fraught with danger, difficulty and cursed from the outset with poverty.

A Million Shillings is a narrative journey documenting each segment of the journey through the eyes of different individuals. I came away from this book with the utmost respect for the refugees and a far greater understanding of how human trafficking works. At times it feels like you're reading an account of the modern day equivalent of the 18th century slave trade.

I ordered A Million Shillings on the strength of an interview with Fazzina I read in a copy of The Sunday Times I picked up in London a couple of months ago. By chance, Alixandra was passing through Kigali a few weeks later and we hooked up for lunch en route to the airport.

It's not every day you meet a journalist who has documented such a story and in such a unique and compassionate way. As she says,

"I work quietly. My photographs are quiet. I find it awkward when someone makes me the subject." link

Not only is the book a fascinating account. It is an object lesson in how to do long form photojournalism. Something I hope to learn from as I continue to make tentative steps of my own into that arena. I hope she gets the chance, as we discussed, to talk about her work at the Frontline Club one of these days.

In the meantime, Sean O'Hagan's review of A Million Shillings in The Guardian sums up the power of the book very well,

In 2006, Fazzina started photographing refugees and migrants from civil war-tornSomalia, the uprooted people who risk all to cross the Gulf of Aden in search of a better life. The two-year project has now been turned into an epic, often sadly beautiful book, A Million Shillings: Escape From Somalia. Fazzina's original idea was to follow a single group of refugees from Somalia to Yemen, but that became untenable when she realised few people reach the other side. As it was, she faced extraordinary risks and came upon dreadful suffering, at one point leaving her camera on a beach to help drag survivors from a boat overloaded with dead bodies...

...A Million Shillings, though, is a book that does not abide by the normal rules of reportage. Its narrative unfolds in an almost novelistic way, as Fazzina's camera tracks a journey that, for the few who survive, often ends in a kind of dismal limbo of uncertainty in a refugee camp in Yemen. Many of Fazzina's images of the everyday life there have an intimate and painterly quality: the muted blues and greens of the clothes, the stoicism of the faces, the abiding sense of futility that attends this kind of survival. Here, the photographs serve the story and you may find yourself lingering, as I did, over her almost holy portraits of the displaced.

Salima... was 19 when Fazzina met her in Yemen. She had lost her husband and baby son in the war in Mogadishu and was living in a so-called safe house, trying to raise $25 through begging to pay the traffickers who will drive her across the desert to more uncertainty. At night, she passes out on a bare floor and dreams of home.

This is a powerful and moving book that will make you think twice about the meaning of overused, meaningless terms like "refugee" and "asylum seeker". link

Not so Delicious anymore

I've been singing the virtues of the Delicious social bookmarking tool for a number of years in media training sessions. I make a point of telling all trainees I meet at the BBC College of Journalism that if there are three key tools they absolutely must get to grips with to do journalism online, they are Twitter, RSS and Delicious.

RSS and Twitter are still with us. However, it appears Delicious is about to snuff it. This is a shame on a number of levels.

I have several accounts, store all my journalism research in one, use another as a newswire fed directly into kigaliwire.

I've created specific tags for organistaions like MSF to deliver a personalised newswire. I did something similar for the Frontline Club.

I've collaborated with journalists on Delicious. The network feature is utterly priceless - where else can I follow such up to date thoughts, research and spot the latest journalism web tools than on Delicious? Even Twitter is second best to my Delicious network.

But, now it's gone. Or going. Maybe. Unless it goes open source or Yahoo change their mind. But, in the meantime the bookmarks are too important to leave on Delicious.

If there's anything positive to come out of this - and there is lots - it's that I had to take a serious look around at Delicious alternatives. Murray Dick lists a whole bunch of sites. Paul Bradshaw is pooling knowledge in his search to find a new home for his one hundred gazillion bookmarks.

Finding Diigo and Pinboard, I now realise how tired Delicious had become.

There's been virtually no innovation since Delicious was bought by Yahoo some 5 years ago. I was constantly having problems with the Delicious bookmarklet since I've been using it almost exclusively to post to Delicious and Twitter simultaneously and to feed the kigaliwire newswire.

Diigo has a fantastic array of tools to use - from a sleek, seemingly reliable bookmarklet, web page annotation, customisable link rolls, embeddable tag rolls and a straightforward html import function (although I've been waiting a few hours and my Delicious bookmarks from two accounts have yet to arrive). I can even automatically post through to Delicious from Diigo and export all the bookmarks if Diigo also goes belly up somewhere down the line.

In addition, there is a low cost premium version. It's like Delicious, but someone's actually shown it a bit of love.

And, whereas visitors to Pinboard are greeted with a "Due to very heavy traffic, some background services (import, archiving) are running slowly" sign, Diigo has been speeding along all morning. In short, I can do everything I used to do with Delicious, but I might have to pay a little for the pleasure.

Hell, back in the day - like yesterday - I would've paid for Delicious - now, I'm not so sure I would, even if it was an option. I think it'd take Delicious so long to catch up to where Diigo appears to already be, the game may already be moving on.

I am going to miss the Delicious network, and there are deeper concerns about what it means for the web, but if enough of my old network make the switch to Diigo - as I suspect they will - then all might not be lost on that front either. Beth Kanter and Martin Stabe have already switched I see.

Irrelevant picture taken from a train in wintry southern Scotland recently.

The freelance journalist

View more presentations from Graham Holliday.

I was asked to give a presentation to a group of MA Internation Journalism students at UCLAN in the UK last week. I was told they learned a lot about working in a news room. However, they knew scant little about working in a foreign place and starting from scratch on your own. Having never worked as a wire reporter or reported breaking news as such, I delivered a presentation based on my experience of writing features, nibs, round ups and analysis.

The bee keepers of Rwanda

I travelled down to Mayange in southern Rwanda last Friday to meet some bee keepers. Take a look at the slide show above to find out more (Hint: click the button in the bottom right hand corner to view it big-big-big). There's more on Kigali Wire.

Social media for foreign correspondents

I'm writing a series of posts for the BBC College of Journalism about social media for foreign correspondents. I suppose the advice contained within relates to any kinda hack. However, having spent the best part of the past 16 years on foreign places any nuance that might come through is deffo on the foreign correspondent side. The first post is about using Google Reader, Delicious and Twitter. More sophisticated stuff to come,

Tuning into the local populace on Twitter comes into its own especially during breaking news. Ten grenades have exploded on five separate evenings in the Rwandan capital since February 2010. On four of those evenings, I found out about the attacks on Twitter first - on my iPhone whilst cooking dinner in my kitchen in Kigali. link

Photo taken in the "press pen" at an RPF political rally in Byumba, northern Rwanda, August, 2010

Is this thing still on?

I think this might be one of those, "I CANNOT believe I haven't updated this blog since April, 2010" posts. There's a good reason for that over here. If it's the increasinly rare Vinamorsel you're still after, take a peek at the new and rather excellent VinaLand - pointed out to me by Our Man in Hanoi. Meanwhile, below is a short video from one of the odder work experiences I've had since moving to Rwanda just over 1 year ago.

 

Blimey. Just Blimey.

Dear USA, can you now get to work on that education bill. That is all. via mikewhills

No Reservations. No strawberry wine?

Anthony Bourdain revisits Vietnam next week. This time he's going to the Central Highlands. Wonder what he'll dig up? Mi Quang in Danang? (I hope). Cao Lau in Hoi An? (I hope). Strawberry Vang Da Lat ( I hope not, for his sake...) Beyond Hoi An, I didn't really explore the Central Highlands of Vietnam for food, unlike some others. Although I used to get my greens delivered to my door from there once per week. Alors, his show is on  Monday, Mar 29 at 10 PM E/P. Guess it'll be online for the rest of us fairly soonish.