I have an Editor! I'm a journalist now! And he wants to give me a column! (But I said no thanks - like men, I'm afraid of commitments)
"Let's kick off with your column first; deadline hmmm 8 Jan boleh? Am looking for observations of the everyday rather than big big macro economic politico strategic sorta thang. Am looking for the real life, ground level, lived existence of Afghanistan, how the foreign policies of America (and 'coalition of the willing') actually impact Afghans' daily existence. To do this, generally, you will require an understanding of their viewpoint and what informs them, ie their current and historical context, personal and cultural. Talk to people, get to know them. Perhaps in one monthly column you could either focus on one person, in depth, or several (which would mean your focus is on the issues, using the interviewees experience to illustrate the points you want to make).Getting quotes is very necessary whichever of the two approached you choose to take, but perhaps more important are the who what where when how and why of why they say what they do... "
Look out for my article soon. It's gonna come with a sad-looking sob-story photo, too.
Angel Lam
- Angel Lam
- Singapore
- Angel holds a degree in Communication from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia with specializations in Journalism and Psychology. She entered the United Nations system as the Communications Associate of the Malaysia country office, where she formulated and implemented media strategies on international development issues relating to integrity and transparency, democratic governance, environment, HIV/AIDS, poverty reduction and South-South cooperation, as well as gender issues and the Millennium Development Goals. Angel also worked on several development projects on Afghanistan, particularly in reviving its dried fruits industry through modern agro-processing methodologies, and in encouraging foreign direct investment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, for which she championed while at the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, the investment arm of the Government of Afghanistan. She is currently a recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Postgaduate Scholarship at the LKY School of Public Policy, the political science arm of the National University of Singapore, where her work and research in international development and poverty alleviation continues.