Alive in Baghdad
Alive in Baghdad is a weekly news video blog, or vlog, based in Baghdad, Iraq, distributed via website and RSS. They employ Iraqi journalists to produce videos covering various topics on daily life in Iraq following the Second Gulf War, including a piece on citizens trying to protect their neighborhood from insurgent death squads, another on what it is like to be an Iraqi Police officer, and interviews with car bomb survivors. The footage is shot by Iraqis and edited in the United States.[1]
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Alive in Baghdad was founded in 2005 by Brian Conley, a 26-year-old American journalist and filmmaker. After a year of preparation (including learning Arabic and studying Iraqi culture and history), Conley went to Baghdad to equip and train a small team of Iraqis to produce a new short film every week on the subject of daily life in Iraq.[2]
The website has survived on donations from foundations and individuals. Staff in Iraq receive a small salary. US staff are not paid.
Alive in Model
Alive in Baghdad was the first of many websites around the world developed by Brian Conley and the company Small World News. Some of these sites include Alive in Mexico, Alive in Gaza, Alive in Tehran and Alive in Afghanistan among others.
Alive in Afghanistan
Alive in Afghanistan was featured on the Rachael Maddow show for its coverage of the 2009 Afghan Elections which used a combination of citizen journalist reports coupled with reporting from the Pajhwok News Agency. Reports were plotted on a map and could be displayed by category and/or date range. The website was based on a customized version of Ushahidi and WordPress and allowed citizens to contribute reports by email, sms (text message) or web form.
References
- Alive in Baghdad: first-hand accounts, BBC News
- Brian Conley- Alive in Baghdad, News Innovation