Journey from Tunisia into Libya
Editor's note– CNN Back|Story's Michael Holmes is on assignment in Libya covering the conflict there. Along with his Back|Story piece above, he sent in this note for you all:
Greetings everyone from western Libya. I'm sitting in our house here in the rebel held city of Zintan as cameraman/editor Charlie Miller puts together our next story.
It's been a little difficult to get things done here, with little local phone access, scorching heat, tough terrain and of course there's a war on.
But the team has been able to file a few stories (and a couple of BackStories are coming soon!) which I hope you've been able to catch.
This video is our first BackStory from this assignment: a look at how we got here, coming into Libya from Tunis and shooting our first story on town retaken by rebel forces late last week.
Thanks for watching BackStory – not sure when I'm back but I'm following the show via the blog here at www.cnn.com/backstory and www.facebook.com/backstorycnn – I'll file a note when I can about our experiences so far as soon as possible.
(And I hear Doug is working on a slideshow of my photos - how lovely!)
Cheers,
Michael.
On twitter @HolmesCNN
Breaking down the U.S. debt deal and behind the scenes in Washington
Here's a look at the U.S. debt deal and how reporters are covering this major moment in history on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Talking environment in the Arctic with Philippe Cousteau
CNN is launching a "Going Green" special event hosted by Environmentalist and CNN Special Correspondent Philippe Cousteau. It's called "Extreme Science" and it will take you to the Arctic on a journey with a group of scientists who live to study climate change.
You can see our chat with Philippe on some of the more behind the scenes moments of his time there with a CNN team living and working alongside the scientists in that harsh environment. It will be a major part of our show today.
Life of a tabloid journalist: tricks to get the story
News Corp. has called off its $12.5 billion bid to purchase British Sky Broadcasting. This is a huge setback for media magnate Rupert Murdoch and comes amid the growing scandal over phone hacking. British lawmakers have called Murdoch, his son James and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks to testify before them next week. On Sunday, Murdoch’s tabloid News of the World shut its doors over allegations of illegal breach of privacy. Now two other Murdoch newpapers have been implicated in the scandal. British police have identified nearly 4,000 potential targets of phone hacking.
Former tabloid journalist David LaFontaine once worked for News of the World and Star Magazine. He talks to Back|Story about how far tabloid journalists go to get the story.
Embedded with U.S. Troops in Afghanistan: Capturing moments
CNN Producer Tommy Evans and Nick Paton Walsh were embedded with U.S. Troops at combat outposts in Afghanistan during moments of rest, and moments of extreme stress and fighting against the troop's opposition.
In the blink of an an eye, or the snap of a camera shutter, things can change. Tommy captured many moments during these times, which show as best as a picture can, what life is like in a mountainous war zone such as Afghanistan. Back|Story really feels the power and emotion that a still picture can capture and we know you do too.
So that is why we called Tommy while he was in Afghanistan and asked him to talk to us about these images; talk to us about what they meant, and the stories behind them as the journalist who took them.
A fistful of fish in the U.S.
Published on the CNN "This Just In" blog on the U.S. Independence Day was a story about a practice called "catfish noodling". Back|Story went along on a trip with a group of international journalists to try it out. Here is the full article below, along with pictures from the trip.
Editor's note: Douglas M. Jones of CNN International tagged along as a group of international journalists went "catfish noodling" in the Tennessee river during the Fourth of July weekend. Here he describes how the outing went.
“Just stick your hand down in there further and see if he bites it," Marty told me.
With a determined look on my face I took a deep breath and sunk back under water, using my arm as fish bait.
Earlier that morning, before sunrise, a crew and I met a group of visiting international journalists at their hotel in Atlanta. We giggled like kids at the idea of sticking our hands into the mouth of a fish and ripping it out from under the water.
It’s called catfish noodling, or grabbling, or fisting; the list goes on. Simply put, you find a lake or river; stick your hand under rocks or logs where catfish lie, in the hopes that a fish will bite down. When the catfish chomps, it allows you to grab onto its mouth or a bone inside the fish so you can pull it out of the water. You are catching fish with your hands; and they are big.
As the story goes, it is believed that for people in the United States, this practice was passed down from Native Americans as a way to catch food and survive. Now many people see it as an adrenaline rush, or a curious piece of Americana that, to us, seemed perfect for a U.S. Independence Day weekend.
We loaded up a bus and headed a few hours north to the Tennessee River in east Tennessee. At the banks were Marty and Fostana Jenkins, waiting with a smile and a wave.
We all stood in a circle, getting a crash course in grabbling and hearing stories of how the fish’s bite can draw blood. Unsure who was actually going to try it out from our group, we met three young girls who could be on the cover of next month’s popular teen magazine, ready to pull dinner from the lake. Apprehensiveness turned into embarrassment.
We loaded our gear and persons onto the boats and set out. We were a spectacle. A boat full of curious journalists from places like Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States, all fixated on a few down-home southerners from Tennessee submerged up to their eyes in brown water feeling around for catfish below underwater rocks.
Then Fostana Jenkins, as if the excitement were as fresh as day one, sternly warned us.
“Oh, there he is! Put your hand up next to mine!”
Everyone leans over the edge of the boat as the brown water reveals a splashing, frantic catfish attached to three sets of hands. It is huge, brown and slimy.
It’s an exciting show. Every photographer who hadn’t planed on getting wet, found themselves waist deep in the water hoping to get the best shot. A rouse of applause was heard from the other boats mixed with screams and cheering.
Time flew by that day. We made more stops at different parts of the lake looking for more fish to catch.
Really for us it was the ultimate icebreaker for new friends who couldn't all speak the same language. Kubat Otorbaev, a journalist from Kyrgyzstan, knew few words in English and was quiet all morning. He boldly jumped in the water and became our hero after catching two huge fish on the first try. He was then our best friend. The smile on his face said everything.
We headed back to camp to enjoy some fried fish and moonshine.
A visit with Baby Doc Duvalier by Gary Tuchman
I spent more than an hour this weekend with one of the Western Hemisphere's most infamous leaders. Jean Claude Duvalier is now back in Haiti after a quarter century in exile in France. The man known as Baby Doc ruled Haiti with impunity between 1971-1986 and made a dramatic return to Haiti this past January, a year after the devastating earthquake in the country. His father, known as Papa Doc, ruled the country with even more of an iron fist for the 14 years before that. Both men proclaimed themselves presidents for life. But while Papa Doc died in office, Baby Doc was driven out; after thousands of political opponents were allegedly killed or had disappeared during his reign. He was also accused of siphoning off tens of millions; if not hundreds of millions of dollars.
He is now living in a friend's home with his companion Veronique Roy in on a mountaintop outside Port-au-Prince in one of Haiti's nicest neighborhoods. For months now, my producer Justine Redman and I have been trying to obtain an interview with Duvalier; to find out his side of the countless allegations against him. He hadn't done a television interview for many years. The timing was good when his attorney informed us Duvalier had consented to an interview with us. Not only would we get this important and exclusive interview, but we would also be covering that same weekend's inauguration of Haiti's new president Michel Martelly. We reported on the inauguration, and then drove to Duvalier's house. We were immediately struck by the fact that even though he is currently charged with corruption, theft, and misappropriation of funds, a police officer in a squad car sits in his driveway to offer him protection. We also saw at least two other security men in the house.
I was introduced to the 59 year old leader and immediately was struck by how infirm he looked. It is especially noticeable because when he took over his country at the age of 19 (he was the youngest leader in the world at that time) he looked every bit a teenager. But four decades later, he had a hard time moving his head, and his speech was very slow and stilted. He was also extremely soft spoken. All in all, one would never imagine based on his appearance if they didn't know his past, that he has had such horrific allegations against him. His companion Veronique Roy, who met him in France in 1991 after he divorced his wife, (she said when she was introduced to the president she thought he was a president of a company) offered us soft drinks and water. They were both very friendly as our cameraman Sarmad Qaseera prepared to set up his equipment for our interview.
Duvalier wanted to know what questions I was going to ask him. I explained we don't give out our questions to people we interview, but explained in general we wanted to ask him about his life as Haiti's ruler, what his life was like in exile, why he came back to Haiti, and his response to the gamut of allegations against him. Before the cameras were ready to roll, he told me in French (which my producer translated) that he wanted to come back because he missed Haiti very much. He said he learned about the details of the earthquake from watching CNN in France, and that he couldn't believe how much damage still existed 16 months later.
As we talked he had four cellphones in front of him, glancing at them, texting on at least two of them, but not answering them when they occasionally rang. When the time had come to set up our camera, Duvalier looked at his lawyer and said "I thought this was just going to be a first casual meeting." Apparently, Duvalier wanted to meet me, gauge me, and then decide if he wanted to talk on camera at a later date. There was no luck changing his mind on this night. Duvalier and Veronique Roy said they had plans and had to leave the house. I told them we could do the on camera interview the next day. Roy said she would call us later that night with the time for the next day's interview. Duvalier also told my producer Justine he would personally call her.
Well, the call never came. Duvalier's attorney said to us that after we left, Duvalier and Roy told him they wanted to do the interview, so even he didn't understand what happened. He gave us Duvalier's personal cell number. No answer. The lawyer tried calling. No answer. So the next day, we drove back to the house. Duvalier's aides said he wasn't home. But we had a feeling, based on all the security people we could see, that they were not telling the truth. We left the house and told them we would come back later in the day. After we left, my cellphone rang; it was another Duvalier aide, who said Duvalier had an "emergency," but that I would definitely be called back with a time for the interview. That call never came.
We went back to the house to give it one more try before we left the country. His aides were as unhelpful as they could be. 24 hours earlier, we were honored guests in the Duvalier home; we even played with their dog. But now, we were being treated not quite as well as that dog. We aren't sure Jean Claude Duvalier was even aware we came back for the interview. We never got back in touch with him. But common sense tells you, his aides wouldn't have been so unhelpful and unpleasant without the okay of the man who used to rule their country, but now only rules them.
Gadhafi's son arranges CNN interview with alleged Libyan rape victim
Nic Robertson and CNN Photographer Khalil Abdallah spoke with Back|Story to describe what it was like to be in the room with Eman al-Obeidy, how the interview was arranged and who else was in the room with them as the interview took place.
From Nic Robertson:
TRIPOLI, Libya (CNN) - It has been almost two weeks since Eman al-Obeidy burst into our hotel in Tripoli, desperate for the world to hear her story of rape and torture. We had been trying since then to interview her in person and were finally able to speak to her Wednesday, against the explicit wishes of the Libyan government.
"You should not be allowed to do this," government spokesman Musa Ibrahim told me.
The interview with al-Obeidy was facilitated by Gadhafi's son Saadi and was subject to a government review. We asked al-Obeidy if she would be willing to come to Saadi Gadhafi's office. She agreed and Gadhafi sent a car to pick her up.
She came dressed in ornate black robes and with her head covered. She called herself an ordinary citizen, a good Muslim who is conservative in her social outlook. She spoke with clarity and exuded strength through the conversation, adamant about clearing her name she said Libyan state media had smeared.
"Everything they said about me is a lie," she said.
"I am well-educated unlike the way the Libyan TV portrayed me. I come from a good family, regardless of what they said, I am also not mentally challenged like they said. Just because I raised my voice and talked to the media they blamed me and questioned my sanity. Nonetheless, I want my rights, even without the media."
She spoke of her abduction, of how she was taken to one of the residences of Moammar Gadhafi's soldiers. They were drunk, she said. They tied her up, beat and raped her.
Her bruises had faded, but I could still the see the evidence of her agony around her wrists. She said in the height of her trauma, she took pictures with the camera on her mobile phone, lest people should not believe her later.
"People have blamed me for showing my body," she said. "I was depressed and there was no way to show people how I was tortured. I was brutally tortured to the point of them entering weapons inside me. They would also pour alcohol in my eyes."
She said the men who tortured her are still free, without punishment. Later Saadi Gadhafi told me: "The people responsible for raping her should face charges. She is a strong woman."
Journey to Misrata: Inside the war-torn Libyan city
From Ann, Back|Story CNN
Join Fred Pleitgen, CNN Producer Jonathan Wald and CNN Photographer Scotty McWhinnie as they travel with international organizations delivering aid to the war-torn Libyan city of Misrata.
During an 18-hour boat trip from Malta, the team travels through treacherous waters, keeping an eye out for possible assaults from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
When the team reaches shore, they hook up with rebel fighters who take them into the heart of the battle-weary city. At one point Fred and the team run and take cover from incoming fire. Fred also shows us what he calls "one of the worst humanitarian situations" he's seen in a long time. (And Fred has seen some pretty bad stuff during his years of reporting)
And finally, watch as Fred, Jonathan and Scotty travel back to Malta by boat in the dead of night, battling rough surf but still managing to do back-to-back live shots while on board.
A fascinating and informative journey.
About The Revealer
A new Back|Story series that unearths fascinating new secrets about places and stories you thought you knew. Every other Thursday on Back|Story“The Revealer” Game
Join the action on our new series, “The Revealer.” Use the photo clues to figure out what the subject of this week’s episode will be. Click on the picture to the left for more.
