🎧 “The Daily”: The Photo of the Yemeni Girl | New York Times

Listened to "The Daily": The Photo of the Yemeni Girl from New York Times

The story behind a portrait that brought a widely overlooked human catastrophe into devastating focus.

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Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

One thought on “🎧 “The Daily”: The Photo of the Yemeni Girl | New York Times”

  1. Listened to Close Encounters | On the Media from WNYC Studios

    The Lincoln Memorial debacle showed how vulnerable the press are to a myriad of social and political forces. This week, we examine how the outrage unfolded and what role MAGA hat symbolism might have played. And, a graphic photo in the New York Times spurs criticism. Plus, a reality show that attempts to bridge the gap between indigenous people and white Canadians. 
    1. Bob’s thoughts on where the Lincoln Memorial episode has left us. Listen.
    2. Charlie Warzel [@cwarzel], tech writer, on the zig-zagging meta-narratives emerging from the Lincoln Memorial episode, and the role played by right-wing operatives. Listen.
    3. Jeannine Bell [@jeanninelbell], professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, on MAGA hat symbology. Listen.
    4. Kainaz Amaria [@kainazamaria], visuals editor at Vox, on the Times’ controversial decision to publish a bloody photo following the January 15 attack in Nairobi, Kenya. Listen.
    5. Vanessa Loewen, executive producer of the Canadian documentary series First Contact and Jean La Rose, CEO of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, on their televised effort to bridge the gap between indigenous and settler Canadians. Listen

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    So many interesting failures of journalism in this story which were fueled primarily by social media. Old media would have left it for a bit longer, particularly since it involved minors.
    I increasingly want to get my news once a week well after a story has begun and most of the facts have shaken out. Rarely is something so timely that I need it immediately. I saw a few mentions of this story as it was developing, but it all had the stink of click-bait, so I kindly moved on. It’s amazing to hear the underlying pieces and fuller story after-the-fact.
    The best section of this episode (and probably the most thought provoking story I’ve heard recently) was that of the interview with Kainaz Amaria on how we report on wars and famines that affect other countries and particularly countries involving poor people and those who are non-white. While the recent photo of the Yemeni girl (in conjunction with Jamal Khashoggi) may have helped to turn the political tide with respect to US participation in the crisis in Yemen, we definitely need a better way to engage people in the US without trampling over the dignity of the people living in those communities. Interestingly I’ll also point out that we all know the name and almost all of the details concerning Khashoggi, but almost no one knows the name of Amal Hussain and this fact alone is a painfully stark one.
    The final portion of the episode was also truly enlightening. I’d love to see the documentary they made and hope that someone might make an American version as well.

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