Ideas and opinions – Amy Feldtmann

Run with Kylie

In late December 2013, Al-Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste (Australian), Mohamed Fahmy (Canadian-Egyptian) and Baher Mohamed (Egyptian) were arrested for doing their jobs. Peter Greste was in an Egyptian prison for 440 days, and I followed coverage of that imprisonment from around day two. I recall coverage was quiet for a while in Australian media,Continue reading “Run with Kylie”

Robert Mapplethorpe: look at the women

It wasn’t a leatherman, a naked man, or a man in a polyester suit that was the subject Robert Mapplethorpe’s first photograph — it was his oldest sister Nancy posing elegantly outside the family home in Floral Park, New York. Many more women would sit for Mapplethorpe — a subject that would not be his most infamous but arguablyContinue reading “Robert Mapplethorpe: look at the women”

Essay: ‘A home among the peach trees’

I recently wrote an essay, ‘A home among the peach trees’ about refugee settlement in regional Australia and I wrote it for two reasons. One was because while I care and am vocal about the cruelty with which Australia treats refugees, especially those in offshore detention, I also believe not enough time is spent discussingContinue reading “Essay: ‘A home among the peach trees’”

Fancy* diagrams and tables about refugees

There has been a lot said about refugees in Europe and Australia in the past week (well, more than usual), and rightly so. There are more refugees in the world today than ever before – in fact the UN estimates there are 59 million. I’ve been sharing a few things on Twitter in the hopeContinue reading “Fancy* diagrams and tables about refugees”

Freeing AJ Staff – things of note

I’m not a journalist, I’m not an expert on the Middle East, and I’m certainly not an academic in the field of political science. However, I am someone who has followed the case of the three Al Jazeera English journalists – Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed – charged and locked-up in Egypt for doingContinue reading “Freeing AJ Staff – things of note”