Brian and Steve
Alive in Baghdad
October 17, 2007 | by Noah on the writeup.. Jay on the Video | Permalink
Steve and Brian run the website Alive in Baghdad, a foundation dedicated to getting video cameras in the hands of Iraqis, and allowing those Iraqis to tell Iraq’s story. It is a novel idea in a world that presumes to intelligently cover news from thousands of miles away, often in front of a condescending, scenic backdrop.
What began with a trip to Baghdad, during which Brian endeavored to help bring the Iraqi public’s message to the US, has now developed into a global phenomenon, spurring Alive In projects in Mexico and beyond. Now, hundreds of thousands of people watch the videos shot by Iraqis on the ground in Iraq, but the cost has been both financially, and personally great; people close to the site have died, and financially, the site will not much longer survive.
Steve recognizes the obvious Catch-22 in charging for news, and for that the site will always be free. But donations are required and currently, the duo struggles to inspires its viewers to donate to the site. Brian says, obviously somewhat annoyed with apathy, “Just admit what it is you want to support,” be it a website,
political party, or other cause. We will not charge, Steve says, “because the information deserves to be seen, and it will be seen.”
In a rare personal plea from this writer: give them money! They truly deserve it. www.aliveinbaghdad.org.
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