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Quote by Arwa Damon

“There are certain realities about the world we live in. Syria and Iraq are just not going to get on air every day. For us as journalists, we're still trying to navigate this world. Journalism is changing. How do we tell our stories - especially with the wars that have continued for so long? How do we keep it relevant?”

Quote by Arwa Damon

Author

Arwa Damon
Arwa Damon

Arwa Damon is a renowned journalist, born in September 1977. She is known for her reporting in war-torn regions, particularly in the Middle East. Damon has worked for several international news organizations, including CNN and BBC, and her reports are characterized by their depth and empathy, providing a unique perspective to global audiences on life in conflict zones. more

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“When you look at the damage that many of the policies that Donald Trump has proposed can do to our citizens of the US - you can compare him to Major Storms Harvey, Irma, Maria. We're talking about life or death issues and about repealing the Affordable Care Act. There are lives at stake. Something that would affect millions and millions of people. I think it's totally appropriate. Obviously, it's a metaphor. It's not to be taken literally. But I mean that when I talk about the damage and the trauma that has been brought into our lives because of his presidency, that that's very real.”

“My husband is the mayor. He has a lot of advisors. He has many advisors. Trust me. I'm not always the last one to state my opinion to him. And he does not always take my opinion. I think it's totally fair for any - in any couple, we just assume that people are speaking to their spouse. This is no different. In this day and age, I think we're going to see more couples like us. You know, couples who work together. I'm a volunteer, but I take this work very seriously and I want to help my husband in any way I can.”

“Despite being from Ireland, I've always avoided writing about it, for two reasons. For a very small country, Ireland has produced an astonishing number of literary geniuses, and at some level I probably never felt, having left as a toddler, that I had the right to try and add my voice. That's part of it. But I also didn't want to write something that was the equivalent of the Irish theme pub. You find them all over the world. The idea of producing a novel that might replicate that type of ersatz really set my teeth on edge.”

“When my family moved from Ireland in the 70s, Britain was such a difficult place to be Irish. It was a decade of real social and economic upheaval in Britain. There were strikes, the three-day week, the oil crises, huge inflation, the winter of discontent and, what was it, four Prime Ministers? And relations between Britain and Ireland at that time were at an all-time low. I was born in the year of Bloody Sunday and of course the pub bombings happened in the mid-1970s.”

“There was so much anti-Irish sentiment not just from other kids at the school I went to in Britain, but also the teachers themselves. I remember very clearly a lot of the things people said to me and my sisters. And of course those sentiments go back a long way. When my dad visited London in the 50s and was looking for somewhere to stay, there were signs outside boarding houses that said "No blacks, no Irish."”

“When I worked at The Independent newspaper, I had colleagues who would laugh and say that whenever they picked up the phone to my dad and heard his accent, they thought they were about to hear a five-minute warning to get out the building. People in Britain have always thought it acceptable to make racist remarks about the Irish. The prejudice underlying that supposed joke was everywhere.”