damnureditt

Morgan, I was just talking about Where in the World is OBL on another Reddit thread!

I can't think of any questions right now, but I just want to drop by and say that's one of my favorite documentaries ever. And in the end, you were (almost) right!

I agree that freelancing has led to more interesting content, with more journalists covering a wider variety of topics (some well outside of what major news outlets would be willing to write about). But I think it's a terrible trend for journalists themselves. I'm referring mostly to the problems described by Francesca Borri in this article, and the similar problems that I've heard about from friends who have freelanced in the Middle East. At this point, even the best writers may very well spend years hustling for loose change, and may not be able to make a living out of it. I like the idea of Beacon, but I'm frankly pessimistic about its sustainability in the long run - it's going to be hard to get the general populace to make the transition to paying journalists directly, rather than paying for an established outlet and enjoying the ease of accessing a larger variety of content at the click of a button. Thoughts?

Did the ICRC ever visit you? If so, could you tell us a bit more about their visits?

Overall, how would you describe the guards' attitudes towards you? Did they really believe that you posed some kind of threat to the Iranian government, or did they mostly go through the motions, remaining aware that your imprisonment was more of a political confrontation with the West? Were any of them downright friendly with you?