06. Between issues and repression – journalists’ insight for collecting information in the field /

News-gathering isn’t easy. You need to know the lie of the land locally to avoid wasting time, select the right witnesses, and not miss information that might set you apart from another journalist. To explain the difficulties you may face, topics that are hard to tackle, and most importantly, how you should proceed, we asked three journalists to share their news-gathering tips.

Today, each territory must face new environmental challenges.

At issue: the demographic explosion and climate change.

Khaled Sulaiman, writer and journalist – Iraqi Kurdistan 

A long ago, I worked on or produced an investigation on how to throw the heavy sewage or the heavy water directly into rivers and even hospital water with all infections and residues that are thrown directly at the Tigris River, and therefore it goes from the Tigris River to homes across the Baghdad Municipality, which also disposes of this heavy water In contrast, how could the government cope with this environmental pollution? The Ministry of the Environment was abolished and merging with this Ministry of Health by the government. When there was a Ministry of the Environment to monitor environmental violations, and to improve environmental conditions. In return, we found that the government was originally moving to cancel this ministry claiming to rationalize expenditures and integrate them as a division or as part or section of the Ministry of Health. The environmental concerns of Iraqis may be the last because of their security and other conditions. After all these pollutants accumulate in the water, in the sky, and in the homes of Iraqis.

Asaad Al-Zalzali, investigative journalist – Beladi TV – Iraq

Of course, if we look at the Middle East and North Africa is a more vulnerable area to climate change. Why? Because there is 6% of the world’s population in this region. While renewable natural resources, specifically water, do not exceed 2%. This means there is a large gap between the population and the current ratio and between the proportion of renewable natural resources in the region.

Halima Abdallah Kisule, journalist – Uganda

The wetlands perform a lot of ecological functions. They filter the water that gets into the big water bodies, the rivers, the ponds and the lakes. They also harbour a lot of wildlife. But you also have ** strain at the wetlands because of famine in the rural areas. Where there are valleys, there are wetlands. There are so many wetlands around in Kampala, but they’re diminishing because of settlement, and developments on them. If you destroy the wetlands and the forest, probably, Uganda is a country becoming a desert.

Each territory also has its share of difficulties for journalists in the field.

Asaad Al-Zalzali, investigative journalist – Beladi TV – Iraq

The first challenge is to access scientific data, which means for scientific institutions; sometimes governments do not have scientific data; and even if scientific data are owned; The journalist has difficulty accessing this information. Sometimes we journalists do not. I personally thought I had this experience, I thought I could compare popular memory with what is happening now.

Khaled Sulaiman, writer and journalist – Iraqi Kurdistan

Since 2003, even now, we have lost the 500 journalists who were killed during this year, we speak from the October protests last year and to this day, there are more than 500 violations against journalists, or media organizations, between kidnapping and murder, and even in closing institutions. When you go to report a violation, you may have been killed, kidnapped, or being held accountable under a sect, clan law, or what is known as tribes. That can impose you to pay a fine and can pursue and kill you. In addition, there is no protection from any entity for the journalist, no union or a ministry. We are blown away, and work in journalism in Iraq and everywhere is like working on a minefield.

Halima Abdallah Kisule, journalist – Uganda

Even if you are Ugandan, You will definitely need a fixer to help you with the language. You know, Uganda is a unique country, it has 50 ethnic groups. So almost every 80 kilometres out of Kampala you meet a different tribe. That tribe could be a tribe that you’re not familiar with or don’t know the language of. Sometimes, as a journalist, you find it very difficult to get to a location. For example, getting into the refugee settlement camp seems obvious, but you have to go through a lot before the bureaucratic processes.

These journalists’ mission: to broadcast reliable, verified news.

Asaad Al-Zalzali, investigative journalist – Beladi TV – Iraq

But our style must be effective.

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