Journalism commitment comes in a variety of forms.  I’ve spent a lot of my time searching and reading news from all kinds of sources.  And as such, I read a lot of the same journalists, sometimes even at different outlets.  Glenn Greenwald would be a good example, as he appears on various outlets to share his work.  One day, you might be reading Glenn at the Intercept, and the next he might be appearing on Fox News.  The point is that he doesn’t seem to have limits on what he will do or what news outlet he might appear on; he simply wants the truth to be out there.  Danny is another great example of this. Danny writes for a variety of outlets, but doesn’t always share the IDENTICAL political affiliation that the outlet serves.  Danny’s goal is to have as many people read his work, regardless of who they are or their political affiliation.

Iona Craig is a journalist with a similar commitment, but in a very different direction.  Yemen.  She studies, writes about, and has even lived for years in Yemen.  I’ve never seen a journalist with that kind of commitment to her craft.  When I was a soldier years ago, I came to the realization on deployment that our constant changing of units (a normal part of deployments and Army life in general) wouldn’t allow us to make lasting relationships with the people in Iraq, and without trust, real change can’t be made.  And secondary to that, the people you visit, like the people I met in Iraq and the friends and contacts Iona has made in Yemen, deserve to create trust with visitors to their country.

Thanks to Iona for joining us on Fortress On A Hill.  Here is Part 1 of our discussion, along with a couple headlines that Iona was kind enough to sit in on and give us her perspective.  Enjoy!!!

00:30 – Danny discusses the emerging “threat” of China

16:45 – Ousting of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, replaced by Mike Pompeo

25:25 – Interview with Iona Craig of the Intercept – Part 1

[bctt tweet=”Meanwhile on the humaitarian side, obviously things have gotten dramatically worse. Deaths in the conflict now, although the UN stopped counting at the end of 2016 when it reached 10k in terms of children. Estimates are in the 50k for non-combat deaths, just purely on the humaitarian side this last year. What’s that mean for things on the ground? It means every time I go back there, I see more and more children dying of starvation, in medical centers across the country. Less than 50% of the country’s hospital are operational. Of a population of 27 million people, approximately 22 million need of humanitarian assistance. – Iona Craig on the crisis in Yemen” username=”fortressonahill”]

China Isn’t America’s Enemy, at Least Not Yet – Bloomberg – James Stavridis

IONA CRAIG WON A POLK AWARD FOR HER INVESTIGATION OF A SEAL TEAM RAID THAT KILLED WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN YEMEN. HERE’S HOW SHE DID IT. – The Intercept – Peter Maass

Death in al Ghayil (Women and Children in Yemeni village recall horror of Trump’s “highly successful” SEAL raid) – Iona Craig – The Intercept

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