War Stories: A Voice For The Voiceless
As writers, communicators and marketers working in a cause-driven field, we are no stranger to the importance of untold stories. We use our words and creativity to create urgency and inspire action. Sometimes these stories are lost in a noisy world. Unheard.
I just finished reading It’s What I Do, war photographer Lynsey Addario’s memoir. Her first-hand account of the world was eye opening. Her commitment and passion for her work was inspiring to say the least.
At one point she was freelancing and capturing stories in Iraq in 2004. To put it simply, it wasn’t the safest job. She worked for months to tell the stories of the soldiers and civilians impacted by the war. Her piece was going to be run in Life when their senior executives decided to pull it because they thought the images were just too“real” for the American public.
Addario was disheartened—and angry:
I was now a photojournalist willing to die for stories that had the potential to educate people. I wanted to make people think, to open their minds, to give them full picture of what was happening in Iraq so they could decide whether they supported our presence there. When I risked my life to ultimately be censored by someone sitting in a cushy office in New York, who was deciding on behalf of regular Americans what was too harsh for their eyes, depriving them of their right to see where their own children were fighting, I was furious. Every time I photographed a story like the injured soldiers coming out of Fallujah, I ended up in tears and emotionally fragile. Every time I returned home, I felt more strongly about the need to continue going back.
In a time where the media is vilified, this is a poignant reminder of how crucial journalist are and an opportunity for us to reflect on the real impact of storytelling. While there is no comparison to the danger she put herself in to capture these stories, I do think there is something each of us can learn about telling the stories of others so we can learn about what’s happening in the world beyond our own backyards.