The Life Of A Journalist In Syria

Now entering its eighth year, the Syrian conflict has taken a truly devastating human toll, killing nearly a half-million people and leaving millions of refugees stranded around the world. In this Update-1 podcast, Broadcast/Podcast team member Ruqaiyah Najjar talks with Syrian American journalist Rasha Elass about what is considered one of the worst conflicts of modern times. Elass reported on the conflict as a civilian’ embed and discusses the media portrayal of a polarized political crisis, and why the demise of the Islamic State is not enough to pave the way for peace. She is currently finishing an ethnographic memoir on Syria. The book draws from her years of reportage inside the country, and her diaries from childhood, which she partly spent in Syria. Elass also has launched the Voices Unheard Podcast, which draws on her experience in the Middle East to bring stories to an English speaking audience from the Arab and Muslim worlds.