One Wild Ride: Journalism in the Middle East (Part 2 of 4)
By Heather Murphy, 09.16.05
At the close of Iraq’s first free election the atmosphere was claim as Iraqis all over the country cast their vote in peace. George Thomas CBN reporter covering the Iraq election recounts his own experience in a press controlled environment.
Observing the Action
Growing up in the press-controlled dictatorships of central and east Africa, George Thomas quickly learned of the vast difference between Western and Middle Eastern media, as well as the nuances between news sources. As a child, he listened to the BBC and Voice of America radio broadcasts. His father encouraged him to watch the American nightly news at the local U.S. Embassy. “Newsweek”, “Time” and “The Economist” provided resources for weekly book reports.
Inspired by his childhood immersion in international news, Thomas now travels to the far corners of the globe as a reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), seeking stories in the most unlikely and sometimes dangerous places. The Virginia Beach, Va. based network produces a variety of internationally broadcast and Christian-themed news shows including “The 700 Club”.
As a CBN reporter, Thomas said he has the latitude to pursue all sides of the stories he covers, including religious aspects that may not be covered by secular journalists. CBN also empowers him to investigate stories firsthand, instead of relying on local contacts.
“I have the luxury and freedom to do the stories I want,” Thomas said. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
These liberties allow him to pursue stories in places where it is imperative that he know how to blend in as much as possible. He leaves his nametag in his room, research in another country and hits the streets in local dress. When interviewing, Thomas makes his conversations short, non-confrontational and comfortable.
Even then, he carefully processes his notes, knowing that he may not understand his interviewees’ motivation behind their comments. Information does not flow as freely in the Middle East as it does in the United States. Journalists like Thomas are challenged to discern honest opinion in a society without freedom of speech.
“You want to understand the whole picture,” Thomas said. “You have to present the
whole picture.”
John Waage, a colleage of Thomas, agrees. However, he says in Jerusalem he does not have to peel through as many complex layers to understand popular opinion. The CBN senior editor is currently stationed in Israel, the lone established democracy in the Middle East. To him, it seems that everyone has a very strong opinion about “the situation” as they call the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and they openly share their views.
Over a recent meal at a Jerusalem outdoor café, Waage conversed with some leftists also dining there. According to Waage, they told him that he was there at a good time, citing how every summer since 2000, the streets have become more crowded, tourist numbers have increased and life is closer to normal.
And yet, with the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza pending, there are also mumblings of dissatisfaction amongst the locals.
“It does seem quiet lately, but big shakeups are coming,” Waage predicted. “It is an interesting time; it could be a historic summer.”
Waage, who is currently on his 27th extended trip to Israel, craves the first hand perspective of stories he gets while on assignment.
“You get a much different perspective here,” he said from his office in Jerusalem. “There is a deluge of American-centered coverage at home. You can take the temperature of the situation here while not being distracted by the Michael Jackson case for example.”
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