What I’m Reading
January 19, 2022
This week’s What I’m Reading starts us off with a photographic exploration of Jewish identity. The second read shows us an exotic island and an adventurous scientific mission about a rare bird. And finally, there’s an initiative that wants to keep independent journalism alive.
A Photographic Journey That Explores What It Means To Be Jewish
The first recommendation for today is a beautiful photo story called “Glimpses of ‘Lost Tribe’ Jewish Communities in India and Myanmar.” It was published by The New York Times in September 2021 as part of their The World Through a Lens series, which aims to overcome the travel barriers the pandemic has thrown in our way.
As the headline indicates, this story — photographed and written by Daniel Tepper — explores Jewish communities in South and Southeast Asia.
If you’re wondering what Lost Tribes are, Tepper answers that. I leave the details for the story, but in short, a Lost Tribe is a group that believes its roots date back to 10 tribes that were exiled from their homeland in the eighth century B.C.
Tepper has captured intimate moments that show us the life of Lost Tribes he visited in India and Myanmar. The writing offers valuable context to understand the people and their rituals and explores how those Lost Tribes redefine Jewish identity.
It’s an important story that is worth your time. It’s beautifully photographed and written. I love the context Tepper provides. The photographer is transparent, shares how he discovered the story, why he was drawn to it, and how one meeting led him to the next. You find fascinating insights into his work. Go, have a look.
See The World & Learn About Conservation
The second read is part of the same The World Through a Lens series.
“A Dispatch From an Endangered Bird’s ‘Garden of Eden’” was published in October 2021. Photographer and writer Prasenjeet Yadav transports us to the small island of Narcondam, which is an Indian island that is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea (off the Myanmar coast).
Yadav spent time on this tiny, uninhabited island as part of a scientific probe into the Narcondam hornbill, a bird endemic to the island and an endangered species.
The story includes beautiful photography — of the landscapes, the birds, and the scientists working. The adventurous qualities of the assignment described in the writing might make you want to start packing. And there’s much educational value on the scientific mission, the bird, and the reasons for its endangerment. Great work.
Saving Truth
Today’s final recommendation is about an initiative that aims to keep independent journalism alive in an age where not only commercial interests but also political interests have put many news organizations at risk.
Politico’s Global Insider podcast sat down with Mark Thompson, a former New York Times CEO and BBC Director General.
Thompson and Maria Ressa (a journalist who’s the joint winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize) started the International Fund for Public Interest Media.
The fund aims to “stage a multilateral intervention,” as it’s described in the linked article. In other words, they hope to provide funding for endangered news organizations that helps to keep news organizations alive.
The podcast itself is a 20-minute conversation with Thompson. It includes many interesting facets about the undertaking and why it’s a vital one for independent journalism. There’s also a part about the future of journalism and what the industry needs to learn about understanding audiences. It’s worth a listen.
With that, I’ll leave you to your readings and hope you’ve found something of value today. Of Miles & Minutes returns soon with the fifth and final episode. And I have more reading insights and new pictures of my own coming as well.
