Risk and Passion

*This article is about a reporter whose real name has been changed to Asif to preserve his privacy.

The combination of risk and passion can bring wonders. Asif, a reporter for a newspaper in Afghanistan risked his life to bring news to locals. He pursued his passion even during a war in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world to live. Living there can be absolutely chaotic and terrifying due to ongoing wars. Many areas are unsafe to visit. This has caused some people’s lives to cave in, but it hasn’t stopped everyone. This is the story of one of those courageous journalists who reported from Afghanistan during a war.

Surgar was the first independent newspaper in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Independent newspapers are free of influence from the government or corporate offices. A group of dedicated people in Afghanistan came together to create Surgar by gathering journalists who were willing to report on different conflicts in Afghanistan. Asif worked for Surgar and specifically reported on Afghanistan’s politics. Asif’s passion was obvious when he said that “We were all very excited to be part of the independent newspaper.” Signing up to be part of this team involved risks, but their passion to bring news to the public overcame their fears.

I was very intrigued when he described a typical day at work. The entire day was filled with tasks that could mean the difference between life and death. If I were to sum up this reporter’s job description in one sentence, it would be that he worked tirelessly to find and expose corrupt politicians. He talked about how in Afghanistan corrupt politicians were never made fun of without getting into trouble. Surgar received threats about discontinuing their articles about the corrupted politicians.

Despite this, journalists continued their work knowing that it was important for the people to know about what was going on in their government. This newspaper was very popular among locals. Some people thought that the newspaper was fake because it seemed “too good to be true” because of the detailed articles about the criminal activities of real politicians that they were publishing. When asked how reporters protected themselves considering that it was a time of war, Asif answered by saying this “There is no way to protect yourself. Bombs would go off anywhere. No one is safe.” These were his exact words. He talked about how living in Afghanistan for so long helped him get used to that kind of environment. There was no way to prepare for it.

Asif came to our DRSS Newsroom class to tell us about the true importance of journalism. He said that reporting was their duty to show the truth about their country to the people. He said that “Media is a bridge between the people and the government.” From his presentation, I felt like I got more than just understanding the importance of journalism. He shared a message that showed the true meaning of passion for a cause. Asif walked through danger without a second thought because public service was his passion and that required telling locals about what was truly going on in their government. He shared with us that he had no regrets about working for the newspaper. All that was on his mind was getting done what he needed to get done.

This is what I would like to leave you with. When you have a goal, don’t deter from it even if it seems impossible to achieve. There are people who live in third world countries who go through so much just to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. If they can rise to experience success, then what’s stopping us?