Reporters on the Job
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Seek and Ye Shall Find: Finding a woman in Germany to talk about forced marriages (
see story) was not easy, says reporter Andreas Tzortzis, particularly for a male foreigner. "Most stories like this are done by female beat reporters who have built a relationship with caseworkers," says Andreas.
But the Berlin-based reporter doggedly spoke with women's groups, caseworkers, and lawyers trying to find a woman who was willing to discuss her situation. "After three weeks, I had nothing," he says. "The caseworkers wanted to publicize the problem, but their first duty was to protect the identity and safety of the women."
Andreas mentioned his frustration to a German friend, a reporter in Cologne - and struck pay dirt. "Her sister-in-law had been in a forced marriage before marrying her brother. Andreas went to Cologne and met Gülcan Güntemur over dinner at his friend's house. "Afterward, she told me her story. I didn't want to push her too much on such a sensitive topic, but she was very forthcoming."
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Between Iraq and a Hard Place: On several occasions, reporter Dan Murphy has passed through the Assassin's Gate, a massive stone arch blocked off with a Bradley tank, cement walls, and sandbags, where Sunday's truck bombing occurred (
see story). "It's not a place where you want to linger long," says Dan. For people waiting outside the US "Green Zone," the blast walls threaten to deflect and amplify any explosion in their direction - one of the daily hazards of living in Baghdad.
"The only times I'm ever really afraid here is when I'm in those in-between places - neither blending into the general city life of Baghdad nor safely inside those massive barricades. That noman's land is probably the most dangerous place any of us go to," he says.
David Clark Scott
World editor
Cultural snapshot
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ANNUAL MIGRATION:
During the Spring Festival, which starts with the Jan. 22 New Year, Beijing officials estimate an 1.89 billion trips are taken by Chinese visiting family and friends.
NG HAN GUAN/AP
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