As a child we think about what we want to become when we become adults. As a young girl I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I am sure as young girls you all had a different career in mind. Then we grow up and realize we do not have the same interests as we did when we were younger. War correspondent, Alex Crawford, did not think her dream would come true due to the fact that she had four children, but she did not let that stop her and today she is recognized for the great work she has done while risking her life to get certain footage.
Alex Crawford was born in Africa, where she grew up in Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Even though Crawford, now 49 years of age, is married with four children, one boy and three girls, she does not let that get in the way of her showing people the brutal truth in countries we do not here about every day. In an online interview, Alex did not get her first real story until she was 43. According to Sky News Press Office, "Alex Crawford became a household name when she was the first reporter to broadcast live from Green Square as rebel forces took over Tripoli." Sky News Press Office states, "Alex and her team were the only journalists to get inside the besieged town of Zawiyah when it was being attacked by pro-Gaddafi forces. It was this report that was credited with largely being responsible for the UN agreement to a no-fly zone over Libya." Crawford has reported in other countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya just to name a few.
(Video on Rebel forces taking over Tripoli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwT40TE-pHY)
As a woman doing a man's job, Crawford has been criticized for her mothering skills. In the online article she is very open about her home life. In one paragraph Crawford talks about how her oldest daughter feels about her job, her daughter is not to fond of her being a journalist. This makes Crawford feel like she is a bad mother, wife, and reporter, which takes a lot of effort to get right. Even though she feels that way, she loves her job and would not change it for anything. When she is with her family, she does her best to show her love and affection and when she is working her job gets all of her attention. She states that "I'm a deeply selfish person. I enjoy my job and I feel like I am living a dream.
Crawford is a four time winner of the Royal Television Society Journalist of the Year Award. She has been recognized by the Foreign Press Association in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In October 2011 Alex was awarded the James Cameron Memorial Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism. Even though she is a woman she does not focus on the mushy stuff. Crawford feels like we should know the brutal things that go on in other countries like the slaughtering of children. She states in The Telegraph, "You cannot sanitize war," which I fully agree with. I respect Crawford for risking her life to get the stories that we are not able to see on T.V. I respect all war correspondents and Crawford is not the only woman who is doing this job. Marie Colvin, who was killed in Syria, and Janine Di Giovanni are some who have risked or lost their lives for others.
Do you think that women should be out in the field risking their lives?
I think that if a woman desires to risk her life in the field, then so be it. Alex Crawford is a great example of this. She had a dream early on and she's going for it no matter what. In the end, they just want to have the same privileges that male correspondents do and get important information to relay back to the American people. This is a great post Fayth!
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