This is how busy I was during my 4 days in Kampala...I'm back at my desk in Nairobi, and this is the first chance I've had to write about it!!!It was a regional meeting for all the people like me who do what I do in various African countries for the International Center for journalists. Won't go into detail, but I will say that this picture details one of the highlights. It was a session featuring Ugandan editors discussing how they had reported on the recent terrorist bomb blasts that killed more than 80 people.
I have to say, I was greatly impressed. Having never actually reported on anything more turbulent than an impending hurricane, I can't imaging being a reporter thrust into the aftermath of an horrific explosion. OR being the editor charged with decided what stories to write and how to run them while the chaos is occuring.
What's more, I can't imagine doing it in the newsroom settings and overall political atmospheres in many African nations. Sometimes every choice you make has the potential to end your career...even your LIFE, depending on the circumstances. As I've written many times before, most of the things I took for granted when I was reporting back in the US simply don't exist for journalists and editors here. Half the time, you're just making stuff up as you go.
I take my hat off to the (mostly) men and women on this continent who work so hard, against impossible odds, to produce daily journalism. It's why I keep hanging around, to try and help out if I can.
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