There are a lot of people doing amazing things around the world, but because their stories aren't considered "newsy," they go through to the keeper and never see the bright lights of the international media.
If a journalist gets a whiff of an interesting story and runs it past the head of news, one of the first questions they'll be asked is "what's the hook?" For a story to be deemed "newsy" it needs to have a link to current affairs, or be so groundbreaking that the public need to know about it. Some stories though, just don't have a hook, but they still need to be told - people waking up everyday and doing what needs to be done - mowing the lawn, feeding and bathing the kids, going to footy training or getting to work on time are things that should be celebrated, but because they're not "newsy," they're not being told.
One such story that needs to be told is that of a young Australian journalist who packed up her nice, comfortable Sydney life, left her parents and brothers and sisters behind, and took up a job with the Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia. She now works in Afghanistan, most recently for an online Afghan news outlet in Kabul. Catherine James was scratching an itch to tell other people's stories, and it landed her jobs that she doesn't consider earth shattering, but this is exactly the kind of story that needs to be told.
When Catherine moved to Cambodia, she immersed herself in the local culture including living with a Cambodian family. On a day she was invited to eat with a local business contact at any establishment she chose, she asked to go to the most traditional Khmer place. The menu read like a David Attenborough documentary on insects. The only creepy-crawly not on the menu was the gecko, revered as a sign of good luck. Catherine ordered an ant salad - a garden salad with lashings of red tree ants, which she said tasted like a regular salad only crunchy.
When she moved to Afghanistan, things got a lot more serious. After leaving her compound for work one day (a compound where everyone leaves their backdoor unlocked so neighbours can borrow groceries), she hopped in the car with another Western female colleague, their Afghan driver and so-called security guard. As they were driving through town, it seemed to be just another regular day, but as they were chatting away, a Taliban attack on a building broke out in front of them.
The traffic stopped and machine gun fire could be heard all around them. Catherine and her colleague hit the floor and covered their faces with their head scarves - scared to be identified as foreigners - only to hear their driver and security guard open their doors and leave the car. After what seemed like 20 minutes but was probably only 2, the doors opened again and two men jumped in the car and started yelling in Persian at each other. After a brief moment of terror, where the girls thought the two men were kidnapping them as the car cranked into high-speed reverse down the street, they lifted their scarves and realised it was the driver and security guard, yelling because the the security guard had not brought the standard assault rifle he is meant to carry.
Catherine's story needs to be told as she sums up what most of us think about other people's lives. We look at people around us with a hint of jealousy and think "they're so brave/insightful/adventurous, they must have their life together." As she explains though, her life hasn't been all adventure - she's chosen her path, and despite the fact that it's a lot bumpier than it looks from the outside, she's not going to get knocked off.
"Most things I've done, I've stumbled into not really knowing what I'm doing or whether the end result will come good for me. I've been lucky. Extraordinarily lucky. But I am also paying a price. No adventure comes without sacrifice. I think that is the point most people miss. We think its all glory and wonderment. However, it's also fear, uncertainty, loneliness and pain."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
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