Al Jazeera: A Lifeline for Millions
I managed to get the number and called her husband in Syria from my own phone. Having introduced myself, the husband was delighted that Al Jazeera Mubasher was contacting him. I told him I was calling in goodwill from my personal phone number in order to mend fences between him and his family. “Your wife and children are your flesh and blood. They are your rock in this life; and you are the head of the family. I know life is tough, but they have no one else to turn to. Please let me lend a helping hand. I can personally help with your children’s school fees, if this is the problem,” I said. I left the coverage to a fellow producer for a while and kept negotiating with the husband for some time. Finally, his heart softened, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard him opening the door to his wife and children. They were all together under one roof. I later called them to fulfil the promise I had made. One of the three children has now graduated as an engineer and become a breadwinner in the family. I am not writing to brag. This incident had remained a secret and I honestly hesitated a lot before putting ink to paper. I simply acted out of the professional ethics Al Jazeera stands for. It was somehow an extraordinary situation, but I know for certain that Al Jazeera is a lifeline to the forgotten and the unheard. It is the spirit of Al Jazeera, the voice of the voiceless.
Al Jazeera: A Lifeline for Millions Dr. Mohammed Al-Hemyari | EP of News, Al Jazeera Mubasher
Amid our extensive coverage of the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile, where 33 miners were trapped 700 metres underground, my desk phone rang. I picked it up and the caller was a woman screaming in Arabic: “My three children and I are left in the open for days. We are more important than any other event Al Jazeera is covering.” I paused for a few seconds, then wondered why that woman was paying for a long-distance call to Al Jazeera rather than dialling the toll-free emergency number in her country.
“How can we help you, Madame?” I asked. “I want to send an appeal to our president through your screen. My husband kicked us out. I have no place to go but Al Jazeera,” she replied. “We will not let you down. We can call the husband to talk him down,” I said. “He will not listen, only the president can,” she added.
282
283
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter