I heard a while ago an interview with Ahmed Fawad Ashraf on the radio. His sister was kidnapped and killed in February last year. I remember that I followed this case when they searched for Faiza for several weeks, and I hoped so much that they would find her alive. Unfortunately it didn’t end that way.
The Faiza-case and the Congo-case doesn’t really have any similarities with each other. Neither does the Bolivia-case nor the Amelie-case. But they still have something in common: The enormous pressure from the media.
Ahmed have shared a little how he experienced the media the weeks Faiza was missing, and I can relate so much to what he said. They called all the time. They had no respect about the timing. They speculated in the media and wrote horrific things, just like it pleased them. They had no regard to us, the next of kin. The Medias’ job is to convey information. But they forget to be certain that they have their facts straight. They speculate and twist and turn the information to get the best cover or the best “story”.
The worst thing is that they forget that there are people involved in all of this. When your sister is missing and you don’t know where she is, the media are not the ones you want to talk to first. And when your brother is sentenced to death in Congo the questions from the media is not the first thing on my mind to answer.
It’s a terrible experience, it’s hard, brutal, and you go through a grieving process. You don’t need a journalist with a camera in your face. We didn’t choose this situation.
Ahmed mentioned one journalist in particular, Nilas Johnsen. It’s the same man that was the worst against us as well. I don’t understand how VG can have him as an employee. He has no respect for himself or others.
We have lived with the “Congo-case” for almost 2 years now. Fortunately the journalists aren’t so interested in us anymore. Our everyday life is as normal as it can be. But we struggle every day with the burden of having our boys in prison in Congo.
I write this because I want the media to be a little more considerate. By all means, you need to write news. But please try consider peoples’ feelings as well. A cover story is just a cover story, it’s forgotten tomorrow. But the grief in people’s hearts can last forever.
My deepest condolences to Faiza’s family.
Hannah French, February 27th 2011
