Field Notes: On Reporting, the Israel-Hamas War
Left: NPR producer Anas Baba reports in Rafah, southern Gaza, after an Israeli strike hit the area on Oct. 17, 2023. Right: NPR's Jerusalem correspondent Daniel Estrin reports in Sderot, Israel on Oct. 11, 2023. Anas Baba/NPR and Tanya Habjouqa for NPR hide caption
Left: NPR producer Anas Baba reports in Rafah, southern Gaza, after an Israeli strike hit the area on Oct. 17, 2023. Right: NPR's Jerusalem correspondent Daniel Estrin reports in Sderot, Israel on Oct. 11, 2023.
Anas Baba/NPR and Tanya Habjouqa for NPRNPR's longtime Jerusalem correspondent Daniel Estrin has been covering the war in Gaza almost nonstop for the past five months. In our first episode of a special two-part series, Daniel talks with Embedded host Kelly McEvers about some of the people he's reported on and how he approaches covering this difficult and divisive story.
"It is an almost constant sense of cognitive dissonance," he tells Kelly.
One thing that stands out about Daniel's reporting is the wide variety of perspectives he brings to air: the families of victims of the Oct. 7 attack, the family of one of the attackers, Israeli soldiers, as well as Palestinians inside Gaza with the help of NPR producer Anas Baba, who is both reporting on the war and trying to survive it.
Sometimes these perspectives are complicated and nuanced. Other times, people are straightforward in their beliefs. But taken together, they provide a bigger picture of the war.
Our next episode will feature a conversation with NPR Morning Edition host Leila Fadel about her reporting on Palestinians who are living through this conflict.
Listen to Embedded wherever you get your podcasts, including the NPR app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Spotify, and RSS.