Trust me when I say this. Arab sunni Muslim journalists who have on the ground experience, get left out of this conversation because white people in editorial board rooms really think they know more about the region than we do. Ask any Arab Muslim abt this. I am def 1!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about: here https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/business/media/new-york-times-rukmini-callimachi-caliphate.html?referringSource=articleShare

I always ask: were enough Arabs/Muslims helping with these projects on the ground? Were the stringers natives asking these questions about terrorists? The suspicion and cunning in this vast culture blocked Callimachi. The scammer got scammed because the terror beat isn’t a game.

EG:Two sister social workers that I embedded with in Beirut for years who do psychosocial analysis on Sunni Islamists aka ISIS in Roumieh prison KNOW Rukmini did not respect their dearth of experience. Actually loads of expat journos anywhere in the region treat Arabs like shit.

I met the sisters in June 2014 after they met RC first. They specifically said she always tried to control the stories to make them sensational, until they just couldnt work with her. Maya and Nancy Yamout would pt to Islamist violence being comparable to a lot of patriarchal

unwellness, government corruption and delusions of supremacy as a salve. Arab Muslims dont get the respect we deserve in this industry coz the Arabic we speak and the religion we understand, are minimized as bias or bad ed. JUST SO white journos feel OK about being problematic.

I’ll end with this: Caliphate was suspicious and bereft of nuance. Y’all SHE DOESNT SPK ARABIC nor did she employ enough Arabs or Muslims to editorially complete the mission. It is hard. You can’t cover an incredibly distrusting group without actual experience. #caliphate #hoax

Add: I’m not coming for anyone’s heart or intention or skills. But I AM SO BORED OF LAZY ENTITLED STORIES ON REGION. Trust me, editorially, you’ll have a better podcast if you get some authenticity going lol