But that clip from On Point, to which I've listened several times, is a poignant reminder of the importance of experienced foreign correspondents for our understanding of the world. Cellphone videos on YouTube can give us the flavor of the Syrian revolt but can't explain who the rebels are, what they want, or what is really going on inside the country. Shadid knew that if you really want to understand the story you must report from the ground.
As a columnist who makes only periodic visits to hot spots, I hugely admire those who still report full time from Kabul, Baghdad, Beirut, and Cairo. Especially these days, when such reporting guarantees exposure to violence.
Shadid was the best of the best. I knew him only in passing - we last met in Cairo in the aftermath of the Tahrir Square revolution. But I was in awe of his grasp of Middle East complexities, his writing talent, and his modesty.
The grandson of Lebanese immigrants, raised in Oklahoma, he spoke fluent Arabic, which gave him unique access and insights into the Arab world and the forces behind the Arab Spring. He had a special talent and empathy for conveying the fears and hopes of ordinary people, in Syria, Libya, Egypt, and most especially in Iraq.
His harrowing descriptions of suffering in post-war Iraq were an antidote to the good-news stories emanating from the Bush White House. That reporting won him his 2004 Pulitzer Prize. His second Pulitzer, in 2010, was awarded for his coverage of Iraqis struggling to cope with the legacy of the war, as U.S. troops were leaving (both prizes were for his work for the Washington Post).
Tellingly, the book that Shadid wrote in 2005 based on his Iraq reportage was titled: Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War.
