Change the Old Look!

The report: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/09/07/dougherty.afghan.politician.burqa.cnn?iref=allsearch

On the 9th of September, 2010 CNN report, the reporter Dougherty brings an interesting topic of a candidate wanting to change the way Afghani women are dressed. She talks with an Afghani candidate, who was wearing a loose red scarf, asking her about why she would choose the symbol of Afghani women with hidden faces. She answers that it’s an important issue to get rid of it as she is in a process of changing the burqa to a custom called chuaddri, costume with unhidden faces.

Now let’s consider the 5 W’s (who, where, when, what, why):

Who is covering the report?

Jill Dougherty a CNN reporter.

Where is the candidate applying her change?

In Afghanistan.

When will the candidate start working on her change?

She is currently working on it as she is spreading awareness among young children.

What is the message that cnn is sending?

The message about Afghani women wanting to change the burqa.

Why is CNN covering the report?

To show that Afghani women are changing by leading Afghani women to liberation.

What about the H question:

How did the reporter cover the report?

This is the most interesting part that caught my attention. The opening of the report, Daughtery started it with “faces, faces, faces”. She was talking about the political posters running for parliament displaying men’s faces everywhere. Although this is not the main concern of the topic, it was a great contrast to compare it with the main topic that the candidate chose the symbol of hidden faces.

How to pitch a story: “Someone is doing something because something else is happening”.

The candidate is working on changing the burqa because of the current spread of the negative look of Afghani women that are portrayed in the west.

My opinion:

I like the way how the reporter managed to grab the viewer’s attention specially in the beginning part. On the other hand I didn’t like the way she talked with the candidate about women in Islam as when she wanted to inquire about why the candidate would choose the symbol of the covered women from tip to toe (Burqa). She says that the symbol of hidden faces have “negative connotation and  women have to be hidden, cant show their faces, they are basically in their houses, you know what that is, why would you choose that seems a bad symbol?”. Unfortunately she stated it as facts. What even annoys more is what the candidate replied, “very good question, if reality is cruel we have to first accept it, after accepting that, it doesn’t mean that you have to accept and continuing it you have to accept it and find a solution for that”. The candidate never corrected what the reporter said as she supported what she said.