On covering the world

He has been working on a documentary of Omar Kadhr.     Since his capture at age 15 Kadhr has now spent 7 years in Guantanamo prison as a detainee.  Canada has recognized his status as a "child soldier", (as we have done in Sierra Leone, etc) in order to avoid a military trial,  and proceed to his rehabilitation.  Many senior professionals and lawyers are raising this question.   Nazim has visited Cuba to the prison twice, and finds himself continually immersed in this story.

Nazim has also been involved with news coverage on Afghanistan.  He noted that it often takes a week to get one televised news item to air.  Much is involved in negotiating for interviews, involving interpreters, and setting up equipment.   Often his ethnic background - he came to Canada from Guyana - is misunderstood.  However, his knowledge of Islam and the Koran has come in helpful in threatening situations. 

The recent conflict in Mumbai demonstrated the need for teamwork to report on the crisis.

Nazim described the need to cover this story thorough networking and outreach to get useful and relevant information and commentary.  His efforts to engage a former high commissioner resulted in a successful interview person-to-person with Peter Mansbridge in just a few hours.  This creates the adrenalin rush for television journalists.

John Mullen thanked the speaker for his insights into the world of television news.