Taleban captive reveals media tricks

By UKJournalism

Former Daily Express reporter Yvonne Ridley, held for ten days by the Taleban in 2001, gave the Departmentís postgraduate Newspaper and Magazine students a talk on media manipulation.

Yvonne was seized during an undercover assignment in Afghanistan just a few weeks on from September 11, after a camera she had concealed in her burka slipped out in full view of a Taleban soldier.

As cameras were banned under the regime, she was immediately thought to be a US spy and was held in Jalalabad before being taken to Kabul Prison. She was released against the odds after ten days.

More dramatic

Yvonne spoke little about her ordeal, but was keen to stress how the TV media, during the war in Afghanistan, would take every opportunity to make events seem more dramatic than they actually were.

"Film crews who wanted to get some action shots instead of filming from a hotel rooftop miles away from the scene would pay Afghan soldiers to mimic a shoot-out", she said. "The soldiers would be paid five dollars for every empty shell they collected afterwards.

"And when the Northern Alliance captured Kabul, women on the streets would be paid five dollars to burn their burkas and men would be paid ten or twenty to shave their beards. It was all show for the cameras."

Worldwide conflicts

Yvonne is no rookie journalist. She covered several worldwide conflicts as chief reporter for the Daily Express covered, and had previously been assistant editor of Newcastle's Sunday Sun, deputy editor of Wales on Sunday and reported for several other national newspapers.

She is passionate in her criticism of the US. "The US always conceal and distort information", she said. "Their continual lies during the war were aimed at controlling the media into reporting what would benefit them.

"It sickens me that the US hasnít released any statistics on the civilian casualties in Iraq. I bet theyíd immediately tell you how many barrels of oil have been lost."

Koran

After her release, Yvonne turned to the Koran to try to understand her experience, and was astounded by what she read. It led her to convert to Islam.

But she wasnít always that religious: "During my first job on my local paper, I went to interview a Catholic priest, and when his housekeeper answered the door, I asked ëIs your husband thereí."

More info:
Postgraduate Diploma Newspaper Journalism >
MA Newspaper Journalism >
MA Magazine Journalism >
MA International Journalism >

Related stories from UKJournalism:
All-action journo joins International team >
MA Online Journalism graduate makes it big >

See also:
BBC Online - Taleban arrest UK journalist >
BBC Online - Profile: Yvonne Ridley >

Extra and related information

Our print and broadcast courses are accredited by the The Broadcast Journalism Training Council and the National Council for the Training of Journalists. Our MA Magazine Journalism is accredited by the Periodicals Training Council.