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By: Malina Seenarine 

On a cold Saturday morning in December Ramdat Singh leads volunteers to set up a holiday food distribution event at his old elementary school multi-purpose room in Norwood, Bronx. The district leader for the 81st assembly district who grew up five blocks away from P.S 094 chatted with members of the community as they collected staple items like chickpeas, coconut water, and chicken bouillon, familiar foods for the Caribbean and Latino population in the area. 

There was enough food to cater for three hundred families but, with more people coming than expected, volunteers had to reduce the number of items they were giving to each family to accommodate everyone. 

“Over the past years what I’ve seen is the lines or the participation has gotten bigger and the access to resources has diminished,” said Singh, who has been working to organize food pantries for the past three years. 

While reaching out for donations for the distribution event Sigh contacted companies looking for fresh produce like onions and potatoes and while they were willing to donate, other organizations had already called about receiving similar foods and they didn’t have any more resources to give. 

81st Assembly District Leader Ramdat Singh with his co-leader Abigail Martin and volunteers

When it comes to health outcomes, the Bronx ranks last out of the sixty-two counties in New York State. Immigrant communities have historically faced higher risks of chronic diseases, such as obesity and heart disease compared to white communities. In the Bronx, over a million people identify as Latino and/or Caribbean. 

While healthier food options and both cultural restaurants and supermarkets can be seen throughout neighborhoods in the Bronx the problem is more than just food access. 

The director of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute says the issue is a matter of poverty that exists in minority neighborhoods.  

“Food insecurity isn’t a function of the proximity to supermarkets. It’s a function of low income,” he said. He goes on to say that because many immigrant communities may have limited language proficiency and not have legal work status, the jobs open to them tend to pay low wages and as a result, they may not be able to put food on the table.” 

Singh has seen this problem further exacerbated by the pandemic. Many undocumented immigrants were unable to apply for pandemic relief; since they could not work, they struggled with buying food. 

In New York City, undocumented immigrants make up over three-quarters of the labor force compared to the U.S.-born population. Despite this, the average earning for undocumented immigrants is $25,300 compared to $45,000 for those born here.  

Growing up in Norwood, Singh’s community consisted of immigrants from different backgrounds, some of them undocumented according to Singh. This includes his parents who immigrated to the Bronx from Guyana back in the 1980s. There were other Guyanese families that also just arrived in America along with Puerto Rico and Dominican immigrants who lived on his street.

In the community, people looked out for one another. Singh recalls being babysat by his neighborhood when he was a child and tutoring the other kids in the neighborhoods 

“I grew up with a sense of community, where everybody was kind of going through the same thing and kind of came together to help each other,” he said. 

To combat food waste and make sure members of the community are only getting food that they will eat, Singh emphasizes the importance of culturally responsive food. Food pantries often package food in bags, giving everyone the same things but, Singh wants people to see what they’re getting so everything is laid out for them to choose from.

“You want to offer some products that are cultural and you know they’ll trust.” 

Around Thanksgiving, Singh helped organize a food distribution event at the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center in the South Bronx. Although there were staple Thanksgiving foods there like Turkey, Singh also offered community members ham and chicken, noting that his parents didn’t even know what turkey was until they came to the United States. 

The community center’s director, Edwin Scott was the first in his position to agree to food distribution days at Sotomayor. 

 “This is what I do how dare I say no to families and communities and individuals in need,” he said. Scott has been the director for almost two years. 

Distributions events aren’t only for food. They also provide coats and PPE equipment like hand sanitizer and masks. They also have service providers who can help members of the community get health insurance, free cable, and other basic services. 

Scott explains that more can be done when people and organizations come together to give to the community. Scott has built partnerships with the Caribbean Equality Project and community leaders like Singh. 

“By creating partnerships and networking and opportunities to work with people, you get more accomplished,” said Scott. This also allows for more inclusivity, as different organizations bring in different people. 

Although food insecurity in minority neighborhoods in the Bronx is due to failed policy issues, Scott says the best want to enact change is from a bottom-up approach, which starts with grassroots organizations advocating for the community and at a political level. 

“We’re not going to get it from up, down so let’s push up,” he said. “Let’s get more aware, more conscientious, doing more of those things that promote healthier eating, getting more access, erasing and eliminating those blocks and those obstacles.”

By Tahreem Ashraf

Twenty-year-old Mujtaba Aftab witnessed his town falling apart at the seams. The catastrophic floods, starting from June to October, triggered by torrential monsoon rains ravaged Pakistan that devastated millions of people. Decimated roads, fields and gas stations submerged in water, collapsed brick structures, disintegrated mud-baked houses, and deaths due to waterborne diseases in Bhit Shah, located in the southeastern province of lower Sindh, left people without shelter, livelihood and hope. The poverty-stricken people, mostly daily wagers, are waiting for the water to recede so they can start rebuilding their houses, which would take months. 

Almost 1,700 people were killed including 529 children, five million have become homeless and two million houses were severely damaged. Wide swaths of agricultural land washed away billions worth of crops in the four provinces of the country. Approximately, two million children are deprived of education and the stinging cold is another addition to the baggage of hardships for the displaced who are now seeking shelter from the treacherous winter.

The vast scale disaster where sparked concerns about climate change also set off popular criticism over poor government planning and unpreparedness.

“There is no policy making in Pakistan, not just about basic infrastructure, but every field,” said Aftab, an aspiring student journalist and on the ground volunteer in his area.

Pakistan, for years, has been taking the rap for the mismanagement of water resources, lack of proper infrastructure, failed urban planning and inefficient climate risk assessment. Political instability is one of the cornerstones of this regression however, weak governance and inability to draw on the resources have exacerbated the ongoing crisis.

The province of Balochistan is a historically vulnerable region with little to no infrastructural development and neglected by the central government. The region beset by corruption and a long running insurgency was severely hit by the calamity which destroyed the already weakened framework and affected 75 percent of the province’s population.

“This (floods) happened in 2010 and this again happened now. There is no infrastructure, no proper sewage system, no proper homes were provided,” said Shireen Nayani, a Division of Health and Informatics officer at the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative, Balochistan.

Nayani added that where flawed policies are an irrefutable factor, there is lack of preventive measures and management failure that further collapsed the province. 

“The basic problem is they [flood affectees] don’t have basic facilities. They don’t have a heater in this cold weather,” she said. “The government is not providing anything to them. They are living in tents with their children and don’t even have blankets to cover themselves.”

Stagnant flood water and inadequate sanitation has led to vector borne diseases, millions are facing food insecurity and vulnerable groups are bearing the brunt of rising inflation and economic slump.

The government-led recovery and humanitarian response has provided food and agricultural assistance to 3.4 million people, distributed shelter and basic necessities to 43 percent in the most affected areas and only 29 percent of flood affectees have received medical assistance so far. 

Moreover, the U.N. agencies and countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey also lent a helping hand to the drowning country. The United States has delivered $97 million in aid and the European Union announced $30 million to support the government relief efforts. Neverthless, as of December 16 Pakistan only received 26.7 percent of $817 million reported as required and the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif demanded debt relief and compensation for climate damage at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP27).

Pakistan contributes to less than 1 percent of the global carbon footprint but got the severest hit in recent history. However, there is also a lack of foresight and unpreparedness that has drowned more than half of the country.

The government has been successful in creating a narrative that acquitted them from the culpability of a failing infrastructure. Even though, in the past it has received critisicm over surplus development of  white elephant projectsinstead of improving the existing infrastructure.

Pakistan has limited water storage capacity, and antiquated dams, 10 of them breached due to pressure from flash floods. Moreover, there is an obsolete drainage system intact. The large urban cities, towns and neighborhoods do not have proper channels that can guide the floodwater out of the urban development and this adds pressure on the sewerage lines. Most of the roads and railway tracks lack culverts and flawed land use planning have led to cities drowning due to urban flooding.

“There is no concrete measure in terms of investing in [climate change adapting] social infrastructure like drainage,” said Naveed Iftikhar, an urban economist. “We have been investing a lot of money on building roads and everything else and then we never paid much attention to how we are blocking the water channels.” 

He further added that there are three facets of this issue: 1) The mushroom growth of unregulated housing societies have not only “divert the direction” of overflow channels but also blocked the waterways due to illegal construction. 2) There is lack of proper industrial and medical waste disposal due to which solid waste is dumped at the banks that chokes the water streams and during heavy rainfall the water remains stagnant. 3) The interconnected narrow sewerage and drainage lines, often in the same pipes, are unable to carry large amount of rainwater and “sewage lines are also often blocked”. 

“Rainwater harvesting has never been on our agenda,” he said. “We don’t have very good green spaces which can absorb [rainwater] and there is also a tendency to cementify everything…we have cemented many paths and green belts, which help in absorbing water.”

Iftikhaar believes there is an immediate need for improved urban design and cohesiveness between federal and provincial governments for climate change adaptation and to prevent future disasters.

“The restructuring is not easily done. We don’t have resources to invest in pre-disaster scenarios, we are not resource lavish. We are living in a tight jacket economy where the economy is barely managing our needs,” said Faiz Hussain Shah, a climate expert.

According to Shah, a climate expert, Pakistan was not prepared because its flood prevention system is used to tackle riverine floods, where water would overflow from the river banks and spill out into low-lying southeastern land, but this year the changing pattern of “erratic weather system” resulted in urbanized flooding, water coming in from the southwest and penetrating the four provinces. He acknowledged that the systemic voids, that are a hindrance for crisis prevention, made urban areas extremely vulnerable.

“There are areas where development is not done according to plan,” he said. “We have not been able to assess risks [emanating from hazards] and make such strategies that prevent or mitigate disasters. We are low at preparation, early warning and response level. We are stuck up at relief and we do not have those resources to transition in recovery and reconstruction.”

by Tahreem Ashraf 

In the turbulent times of media censorship in Pakistan, where journalists are being silenced and polarization is on the rise, the youth is growing skeptical of the credibility of mainstream media. However, youth-led independent journalism collectives are striving to build trust within the public and highlighting the often-overlooked issues with the aid of thriving digital platforms. 

Today, Pakistan is encumbered by political propaganda and deepening mistrust towards the ruling regime and establishment. Political polarization is deeply rooted in the mainstream and digital media which has shaken the edifice of fairness and compelled the public to take political sides.

When Khan was ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote, the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif was elected as the next Prime Minister by the parliament. Nevertheless, Khan continues to dominate the country’s politics with political rallies, taking the army head on and criticizing the present government. The changing political landscapes deeply influenced how media operated in the country and what narratives the public want to adhere.

https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/storyline/latest/embed/index.html?dataURL=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fspreadsheets%2Fd%2Fe%2F2PACX-1vSuzA9oPVjcAcun7EfvmmGSd7eEJTnGxHgSR87nEuIkFhSsWYe_l5xI6DfIDU3q_k4XW6TO4VgC9f47%2Fpubhtml&dataYCol=score&dataXCol=year&dataDateFormat=%25Y&chartDateFormat=%25Y&chartYLabel=score&sliderCardTitleCol=score&sliderCardTextCol=text

The media ecosystem started to change when Imran Khan became the Prime Minister in 2018 and only allowed those journalists to press conferences who supported his narrative. This created a political divide in the media and independent journalism became difficult and risky, according to Iqbal Khattak, director of Freedom Network— a watchdog organization advocating for press freedom and human rights in Pakistan. 

“I think people are not taking interest in independent journalists. They want me to be either pro Imran Khan or anti Imran Khan,” he added. “That is quite a difficult situation and those who are trying to be ethical, trying to be neutral and objective have little space left for them. They do not have much audience and they do not have much following.”

This kind of media outlook of the public has also allowed for harassment and threatening attacks on journalists. Khattak highlighted that impunity for crimes against journalists is quite high and entrenched within the system that “encourages press freedom predators to keep attacking media in Pakistan.”

Now, young journalists frustrated over the downfall of free press in the country took it on themselves to effectively deliver objective truth to their audience, but this is not a smooth journey for them.

Aliza Fatima and Aina Nadeem were in their final year of high school when they started Irteqaa, an operation focused on educating youth and fighting fake news. 

“[During Covid] we saw there was a massive rise of misinformation, especially on Instagram stories. We had our friends who were spreading false news without ever verifying it,” said Nadeem. “We felt there was no one platform which could keep up with all of the things that are happening in our social circle, especially when it comes to young teenagers of Pakistan.”

According to Fatima, Irteqaa’s main goal is raising awareness about events that are not covered in mainstream media and break the echo-chamber that will allow public to be more tolerant and empathetic to the marginalized communities.

Propergaanda is another digital media company involved in activism journalism through its investigative stories and sparking conversations about controversial issues.

“This is a lot with audiences in developing countries where you [public] don’t want to hear criticism. You want to have a more nationalistic [narrative] like ‘we are one, nothing is wrong’, but we’re against it [because] there are problems that are needed to be solved,” said Hamza Ghaznavi, the founder of the company.

His aim is to build credibility and employ a more meaningful approach in storytelling that broach the subject of injustice, negative stereotyping and conspiracies in Pakistani society.

However, it is much easier to target and take down such pages on social media because of public opposition to a particular story by reporting the page or Instagram itself deciding to censor it.

“We were investigating on Afghanistan when Taliban took over and U.S. forces were leaving. Our account was blocked because of going against [Instagram] community standards. We were like ‘Why? we are just giving news how does that make any sense?’” said Ghaznavi.

He reasoned that it may be the consequence of Propergaanda not being a verified news page or not having a news license which creates “unfair pressure” on such digital platforms.

On the other hand, The Centrum Media (TCM), Pakistan’s first digital company devoted to video storytelling, strives to create a balance in the stories to avoid being labeled as biased and prevent temporary censorship attacks.

“Whenever we do a story about someone, we tell their side of the story as well. I think that is the credibility we have built, if someone is a bit biased, they also know that it is sort of an objective story,” said Talha Ahad, the founder of TCM.

“People have started knowing about what is biased news and what is unbiased news. It is like a digital literacy or a news literacy I think what we are doing.”

Kiran Nazish, a Pakistani journalist and the founder of the Coalition for Women in Journalism, however, warns that such organizations “do not appeal to the old-school audience” who are the majority voters and heavily consume the traditional media.

“For every TCM, there are three biased platforms that have tens of thousands of followers and are widely shared,” she wrote in a message.

Even though Pakistan’s digital infrastructure is not secure, the media is undergoing a huge digital transformation and media literacy still has a long way to go.

“Communication platforms including YouTube and Instagram are supposed to help us evolve,” wrote Nazish. “But it can have a significantly negative effect, even damaging effect if we do not prepare ourselves on how to use that technology.”

https://medium.com/@cristine.trimarco/the-impact-of-social-media-and-music-during-brazils-presidential-electi-56400111e901

https://medium.com/@maykhin98/the-rise-of-burmese-cuisine-in-new-york-city-dad4c5dab22

Reminders and Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, Nov. 22:

We’re now entering the point in the semester when in many ways, your time outside of the classroom reporting is more valuable than time inside of the classroom. Next week is Thanksgiving and in my experience, when I try to hold class early in the week, a lot of students don’t show up; so I’m giving you next class off to work on reporting your Story #2. However, I will be available that day to meet with anyone who would like to schedule a one-on-one Zoom call or in-person meeting with me. Please reach out to me by email to request a meeting that day.

Monday, Nov. 28 and Tuesday, Nov. 29:

When we come back from Thanksgiving weekend, instead of regular class, I’m instead going to hold individual meetings with everyone on Monday, Nov. 28 and Tuesday, Nov. 29. You can sign up for a time slot here.

During that meeting, we can check in on your story progress, we can discuss what the story still needs in terms of voices/sources, and/or I can take a look at whatever you have so far and make suggestions on structure or writing.

Thursday, Dec. 1:

Your rough drafts of Story #2 are due by class time on Dec. 1. We will workshop them in class that day.

Tuesday, Dec. 13:

Your final drafts are due by class time on Dec. 13, our last day of class.

A Quick Guide to the Practical Realities of Freelancing

When we think about being a journalist who reports internationally, we often focus on the technical and practical skills that the job requires: how to craft a story, how to shoot photos or record audio or video, how to handle the logistics and get around safely, etc. But I want to talk a little today about the less-glamorous side of the job, which for a majority of international correspondents, means essentially running your own business as a freelancer.

How do expenses work?

Typically, you have to pay for things like flights and fixer fees yourself in advance, and then file for reimbursement when you file your invoice.

How do you send an invoice?

How do you know how much to charge?

A lot of news organizations have a flat rate they pay everyone that is standard, like $600 per story plus $100 if you also filed photos, or a $400 day rate for videographers, for example. But if you’re ever in the position of being asked how much you charge, it can be paralyzing if you don’t know what to ask for. A lot of inexperienced journalists ask for too little. The best advice I can give is to consult with freelance friends and colleagues and ask their advice about what’s a good range to shoot for.

How do taxes work when you’re a freelancer?

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/self-employment-taxes/a-freelancers-guide-to-taxes/L6ACNfKVW

Make sure you have a website

Having a portfolio website is one of the best ways to make it clear to editors that you take yourself seriously, and that you have a baseline of professionalism in this industry. If you don’t have a website yet, think about making one.

Don’t be afraid of a little self-promotion

Think about branding yourself. If you’re interested in launching yourself as a photojournalist specifically, make sure you have an Instagram that is full of well-curated photos of your work, updated regularly. If political commentary and analysis is more your speed, Twitter might be the best social media platform for you; go on there and contribute to the conversation. Don’t be shy.

15 September 2022 

On Sept. 12th-13th, Azerbaijani forces launched attacks on positions inside the Republic of Armenia, which was confirmed by NASA shortly after. There was a ceasefire that was brokered on Sept. 13th by the Russian Federation, which was reported to have been broken minutes after it went into effect. On Sept. 14th, Armenia and Azerbaijan brokered another ceasefire. The UN report on Armenia discusses the ceasefire, expressed their support for it, and noted that they held a council meeting on Armenia and Azerbaijan. The council was unwilling to confirm which side the attacks came from. 

There were two questions asked by the journalists regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan. The first journalist asked whether or not the UN is planning to “send a delegation to ensure that the ceasefire will be respected.” The UN spokesman did give a straight answer, but did not take further questions on this. They didn’t evade the question, but they did not elaborate much on their answer, rejecting any responsibility to ensure the ceasefire is being respected and giving a textbook answer on why this is not a responsibility the UN is willing to take. 

The second journalist asked a question regarding whether or not there are still ongoing hostilities at this time. The spokesman evaded the question somewhat, simply just restating what they had already said. This could be because they are genuinely unaware of the state of the fighting, but they did also evade the second part of the question, which asked about active efforts to ensure peace on the ground, referencing the answer they gave to the first journalist and saying, “I think that’s information you should get from the parties themselves.”