I'm a huge fan of documentaries. The best documentaries, to my mind, fall somewhere in the spectrum between straightforward journalism and something more personal and subjective. But my favorite doc, by far, is "Born Into Brothels," Zana Briski's poignant account of teaching photography to the children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red-light district.
"Brothels" won the 2004 Oscar for best documentary but I hadn't heard much about Briski in recent years, so I put on my reporter's hat and contacted her. She e-mailed me from Brazil, where, she told me, she was chasing jaguars for her latest photo project. The result of the interview is this profile:
'Born Into Brothels' Director Zana Briski Returns to her First Love: Photography
Hope you enjoy it.
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Zana Briski photo courtesy Getty Images
The young people I know are fully-fledged citizens of the digital world, with their smartphones and 5,000 Facebook friends. But unlike some of their elders they're not quite so ready to throw out everything from the past.
Perhaps more importantly, they see the dangers and problems of the new digital age more clearly than their elders.
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Middle-aged Pontificators Aside, the Digital Future Belongs to the Young
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Photo courtesy Getty Images
Journalism students need to master the skills of reporting and writing, but just as important is an oft-overlooked trait: reliability.
In other words, a talented reporter isn't much use if he doesn't show up for work on anything like a regular basis.
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A Lesson for Wannabe Reporters: Big Dreams Are Fine, but Don't Forget to Show Up
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Photo by Tony Rogers
If many journalism students don't follow the news, as I wrote recently, it must be because they don't see how doing so will benefit them.
So I decided to put together a list of ways staying up-to-date on the news will help aspiring journalists. If you have reasons to add to the list, e-mail me.
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Five Reasons Why Journalism Students Should Follow the News
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