Difference between revisions of "Gwynne Roberts"

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::I used to work for [[Reuters]], and I resigned in 1973. I was being trained as a foreign correspondent, and this was the first story I did. So in 1974, I set out for the mountains of Kurdistan where there was a rebellion, a revolt against Baghdad. The revolt, the rebellion, was supported by the Americans. It was supported by the shah of Iran. So that was my first freelance venture, and I was covering it for The [[Financial Times]] and The [[New York Times]], and I went back and forth a lot. And then early in March 1975, the whole thing collapsed in ruins, because the [[CIA]] -- [[Henry Kissinger]] -- had withdrawn support for the Kurds abruptly, as had the shah, and they were left completely destitute.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq501/audio_index.html Frontline/World: Iraq - Saddams's Road to Hell - A Journey into the Killing Fields], PBS, 24 January 2006.</ref>
 
::I used to work for [[Reuters]], and I resigned in 1973. I was being trained as a foreign correspondent, and this was the first story I did. So in 1974, I set out for the mountains of Kurdistan where there was a rebellion, a revolt against Baghdad. The revolt, the rebellion, was supported by the Americans. It was supported by the shah of Iran. So that was my first freelance venture, and I was covering it for The [[Financial Times]] and The [[New York Times]], and I went back and forth a lot. And then early in March 1975, the whole thing collapsed in ruins, because the [[CIA]] -- [[Henry Kissinger]] -- had withdrawn support for the Kurds abruptly, as had the shah, and they were left completely destitute.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq501/audio_index.html Frontline/World: Iraq - Saddams's Road to Hell - A Journey into the Killing Fields], PBS, 24 January 2006.</ref>
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==Saddam's Road to Hell==
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On 5 November 2006, Roberts spoke along with [[Mohammad Ihsan]] of the [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] at a screening of his film,  Saddam's Road to Hell, hosted by [[Labour Friends of Iraq]] at Westminster.<ref>[http://eustonmanifesto.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=1 Special screening: "The Road To Hell"—Saddam's genocide], by [[Gary Kent]], eustonmanifesto.org, 5 November 2006.</ref>
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The film was later praised by [[Nick Cohen]] in [[The Observer]].
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::Look again at Saddam's Road to Hell or, rather, allow me to look at it again on your behalf. All its facts have been triple-checked. The producers present other points of view. Far from being a celebrity hack, the reporter shrinks into the background and allows Iraqis to speak for themselves. I hope Channel 4 sticks to its word and shows it, and not only to quash the Kurds' suspicions. This is an example of a threatened form of television journalism that we will miss more than we know if we allow it to die.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/jul/02/comment.iraq British television has a moral duty to show this shocking film], [[Nick Cohen]], [[The Observer]], 2 July 2006.</ref>
  
 
==Website==
 
==Website==

Revision as of 12:40, 28 April 2008

I used to work for Reuters, and I resigned in 1973. I was being trained as a foreign correspondent, and this was the first story I did. So in 1974, I set out for the mountains of Kurdistan where there was a rebellion, a revolt against Baghdad. The revolt, the rebellion, was supported by the Americans. It was supported by the shah of Iran. So that was my first freelance venture, and I was covering it for The Financial Times and The New York Times, and I went back and forth a lot. And then early in March 1975, the whole thing collapsed in ruins, because the CIA -- Henry Kissinger -- had withdrawn support for the Kurds abruptly, as had the shah, and they were left completely destitute.[1]

Saddam's Road to Hell

On 5 November 2006, Roberts spoke along with Mohammad Ihsan of the Kurdistan Regional Government at a screening of his film, Saddam's Road to Hell, hosted by Labour Friends of Iraq at Westminster.[2]

The film was later praised by Nick Cohen in The Observer.

Look again at Saddam's Road to Hell or, rather, allow me to look at it again on your behalf. All its facts have been triple-checked. The producers present other points of view. Far from being a celebrity hack, the reporter shrinks into the background and allows Iraqis to speak for themselves. I hope Channel 4 sticks to its word and shows it, and not only to quash the Kurds' suspicions. This is an example of a threatened form of television journalism that we will miss more than we know if we allow it to die.[3]

Website

Connections

References