Sometimes being a witness is not an option...
but a necessity and without these people, the Iraqi freelancers, stringers, translators, etc. who risk their lives every day, writing for such outlets as IPS.org, the NYT, etc., would not be possible.
read the rest here and think of Alaa of IPS.org and others who died bringing you the news.
It's not safe for him and the others to broadcast their achievements too widely. Most describe their work only to close family members or a friend or two. Others might dodge the question by saying they work as interpreters for government agencies.
The threat of exposure wears on them and can grow acute when they venture into public with one of their pale-faced American colleagues. Tension swirls around routine visits to the Convention Center — the seat of parliament and the fledgling government — because dozens of television news crews gather outside.
Being caught in the background of a TV news spot could reveal their ties to the American press. "That would not be a good thing," says one of the younger interpreters, a man in his late 20s and the father of a newborn.
read the rest here and think of Alaa of IPS.org and others who died bringing you the news.
