Year 4

Who are the Kurds

The Kurds are one of the indigenous peoples of the Middle East and the region's fourth-largest ethnic group. They speak Kurdish, an Indo-European language, and are predominantly Sunni Muslims. Kurds have a distinct culture, traditional dress, and holidays, including Nowruz, the springtime New Year festival that is also celebrated by Iranians and others who use the Persian calendar.

Kurdish nationalism emerged during the twentieth century following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of new nation-states across the Middle East. The estimated thirty million Kurds reside primarily in mountainous regions of present-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey and remain one of the world's largest peoples without a sovereign state.

The Kurds are not monolithic, however, and tribal identities and political interests often supersede a unifying national allegiance. Some Kurds, particularly those who have migrated to urban centers, such as Istanbul, Damascus, and Tehran, have integrated and assimilated, while many who remain in their ancestral lands maintain a strong sense of a distinctly Kurdish identity. A Kurdish diaspora of an estimated two million is concentrated primarily in Europe.

Kurds have a long history of marginalization and persecution, and, particularly in Iraq and Turkey, have repeatedly risen up to seek greater autonomy or complete independence.

At the outset of the twenty-first century they have achieved their greatest international prominence yet, most notably in Iraq. Iraqi Kurds were an important partner for the U.S.-led coalition that ousted Saddam Hussein from power in 2003. Even while asserting their autonomy, Iraqi Kurds are still considered by policymakers as the "glue"that holds the country together amid sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia Arabs.

The Iraqi Kurdish fighting force, known as peshmerga (Kurdish for "those who face death"), and Syrian Kurdish fighters have played a significant role in fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State, a jihadi group that has exploited the ongoing civil war in Syria and instability in Iraq to take control of large territories in both countries.

Other Kurdish fighters, including Turkish guerrilla fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, have also been instrumental in warding off Islamic State advances in the region. Meanwhile, the Turkish government has been attempting to resolve its thirty-year conflict with the PKK through a negotiated peace process and increased rights and recognition for the country's Kurdish population.

The role of Kurdish forces in the fight against the Islamic State in particular has raised their international profile. Some countries, including Germany, have directly armed and trained Iraqi Kurdish forces, while the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State has supported Kurdish ground operations with air strikes.

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Five key values for journalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNidQHk5SZs

There is about 400 Code of Conduct around the world covering all aspect of journalism some of them very short some of them very long but actually all of them are really focus on 5 key values for journalism, and the first of them accuracy I won’t say truth because truth is very long word it actually gets into discussion about really what is true and what is No true but accuracy is very important so therefore the first principle is no deceptive handling of the facts we work in facts so fact based information

Secondly there is a principal of independent, the work that you do is your own work but it is not on behalf of anyone else will not there to be a spokesman for the government you are not there to be representative of the particular business group of special interest group you have transparency in what you do so that when you are speaking on dealing with your audience and producing material you are acting independently as an independent professional

Thirdly there is the principal impartiality that is to say you recognize that there is more than one side of the story and very often as more than two sides to the story and as a journalist you are responsible for looking, I'm thinking about what are the other side to the story here is one story is being told but what are the other options that I need to bring in to make the story whole, and then fourthly there is the question of humanity as a journalist you are expected to show humanity and what I mean by that is you are expected to be aware of the consequences of what you published and what you broadcast, so you have to be aware but sometimes the word you use the picture you show you can do damage they can be harmful to people it's not the job of the journalist to do unto and to harm it is our job to protect people and is very important that when we are in reporting we don't indulge in hate speech we don't show upsetting image we don't show a necessary explicit image in violence and so on because we are part of humanitarian process and that's what journalism should be, so humidity is very important part of it.

Fifthly in the issue of accountability it is the one that probably most difficult for journalists and we not a humble group we find it difficult to say sorry and to admit our mistakes even though we can be lacerating our criticism, about this, but we have to do that we have to engage with the audience and we have to correct our mistakes and we have to be prepared to provide remedies when we go when we get it wrong and do damage, so this principle are pretty straightforward accuracy independent impartiality human ity and accountability those Are the thing that wont make journalism different and distinct.

The difference between free expression and journalism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=499FWnBDveU

Free expression is such an important part of democracy, you can't underscore it enough, and free expression is the capacity everyone to open up their computer or to take that the telephone and to key in and and to through blog and to say whatever they want.

I’m and providing they are within the bounds of decency and the law they can say what they want but they don't have to tell the truth and they don't have actually you know have to tolerate other people.

They can be offensive if they want to they don't even have to say who they are they can pretend to be somebody else I mean free expression is about giving people the freedom to say whatever they want without a any undue restrictions and they certainly don't have to be accountable they don't have to say sorry when they make mistakes and so on so full that's free expression it's great and is liberating and is an important part of democracy but it's not journalism.

Journalism is quite distinct because journalism is not free expression in that sense its press freedom it's the freedom journalist to express themselves but within a framework of values and not framework of valley are the ethics in journalism

it's about self-restraint journalists don't allow themselves free expression they constrain their expression inside the ethical framework of the work that they do.

That's why for journalists they do have to correct their mistakes And say they're sorry when they make their mistakes they do have to respect a facts they're not allowed to indulge in malicious lies they do have to show humanity to the audience and make sure that the not promoting hate speech and so on they do have to be impartial and recognize that there's more than one side to a story and so on this attachment to values makes journalism quite distinct so we shouldn't be confused about this it's not quite free expression as we know it but its is very much apart about democracy and has to be protected

17/ 4/ 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZBePKlWPoA&nohtml5=False

Female fighters vs Islamic State: 'We let ISIS members end up in hell'

Kurdish forces in Iraq have stepped up their offensive against Islamic state in the town of Sinjar as they try to take back territories occupied by jihadists in recent months the locally Yazizdi minority has bared the brunt of Islamist rulewith hundreds of civilians executed or sold into slavery a team from RT join troops as they attempted to retake the town street by street is the latest reports.

devastation still reigns in this area of the Sinjar mountains in northern Iraq after Islamic state militants wreaked havoc year it's now patrolled by Kurdish forces assisted by the militias the local Yazizdi the minority sporadic battles still wrapped in the area…

we are Sinjar self defense forces and together with Kurdish troops we're still putting up a fight we lost several men yesterday and they're still intense fighting going on inside Sinjar even now we've been standing our ground for five months we will fight to the last man to win back our land and free of families a mother's and sisters from hands of ISIS.

the extremist still hold the town of Sinjar with many people trapped in the hands of the militants known for their brutality...

We haven't liberated all Sinjar yet, there's the upper market in the lower market in the city we've retaken the upper market but nine Yazizdi villages are still under ISIS control.

Islamic state group has issued a decree stating that any man killed by a woman would go to hell prompting many Kurdish and Yazidis women to take up arms against the militants..

I join the militia to fight against those who want our land in our honour those who have captured our villages and displaced our families I'm here to attest Yazizdi girls and women show no weakness those man have committed horrible crimes that is why me and other female fighters killed them and let them end up in Hell.

Women aged between 18 and 35 are set to make up no less than 30 precent of all Kurdish forces but they have defended local villages against the Islamic State onslaught since August last year and all militia men and women here say they will not give up their fight.

RT crew from the foothills of Mount Sinjar Iraq

08/05/2016

What is A journalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBQufT857WY

The news is everywhere, it's on TV the radio and the Internet, you can get it from Rss feeds and through text on your phone. Some of us even fine news through social media Apps, but where is news come from?

The people, who bring us news and other factual information, are called journalists sometimes they're also called reporters or correspondence and their job is to keep us all informed about what's happening in our communities our state our country and around the world.

A journalist is a person a man a woman who tells other people, whether for television or radio or in written words on a page, what happen what he is happening, in the world so that people who are reading it listening to it or watching, can understand the world better.

A journalist is basically a storyteller you know when you come home from school and your mom or dad ask you how your day was you're sensually telling the story you not telling them every single thing you did all day you're giving them the highlights oh and that with so-and-so, friend at recess I played with such as such team I talked to so-and-so teacher right essentially distilling to them with the most important story was so we're all in a sense journalist and we just do this with cameras and equipment that you might not have

the things about me been journalist it's having access to the people on the places that the regular public does not.

Smartphone Journalism: The Changing Face of News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9sXlz-72Q0

Hello and welcome to a special ITV News digital debate, tonight we have gathered for a panel of guests from around the world will explore how smartphones and social media in general are revolutionizing our understanding of journalism.

In about terror attack in broad daylight a British soldier is murdered on the streets of London with bloodied hands one of the killers posted on camera moment after of the attacked…

His arrest for speeding was captured on video, 4 officers Stung in with a laser gun then beat and kicked him repeatedly….

More than 30 shops were smashed, this a sweet shop…..

captured on a mobile phone camera gunfire on campus it seems as if it will never end….

One of the survivors took these pictures with the camera in her mobile phone…

Thank you very much indeed a warm welcome to those have you here in London and around the world watching, online I’m Mark Austin and this is ITV News special a digital debate brought to you in partnership with intelligence squared and Google, now it's difficult to get away from cameras these days from the surveillance cameras on the street that to film our every movement, to these smartphones in our pockets, but how many of us use those devices for more than sapping the ode selfie or boring of friends with a holiday pictures.

Almost a year ago a young British soldier was murdered in London on a street in the broad daylight the killer was filmed by an ordinary bystander using his a mobile phone as the killer explained why he had carried out the brutal attack…. the footage was used on ITV News that night….

Um in the Middle East in Syria and Egypt smartphones are being used to expose atrocities and in so doing shape world opinion, I'm and these cameras are being used in areas by a large where the mainstream media can’t reach I'm helping to provide a voice a voice for those who cannot normally be heard…

A Smart phones together with all the other kinds of social media have made all of us much more powerful I’m and better informed as citizens but with that power of course comes responsibility, should we always believe what we see if we don't know whose operating the camera or a where it was filmed all when it was filmed,,, is this new breed a so-called citizen journalism play an important role in delivering news or helping us that deliver news or is it simply distorting our understanding of world events And what does the mainstream media need to learn from all this Im what do we need to carefully consider when it comes to broadcasting a largely unfiltered and potentially provocative material

Well without further delay let me introduce the panellists, Im… To my right we have the author and journalist Will self. I'm… We also have the renowned war photographer Paul Conroy who was seriously injured in the Syrian city Homes in the same attack I'm in which the Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin a great friend to some of us here was killed.

Um to my left Oren Yakobovich founder of the Videre a human rights group the work to expose violations of human rights around the globe through largely through secret & covert filming….

and also I'm to his left the renowned libertarian writer and director of Britain's Institute of ideas and star Moral Maze and all things on radio 4 Claire Fox .

On now joining us on Google hangout from New York the filmmaker and by vice news reporter Cyrus Tosti who we are very lucky to have he was recently held captive for three days by pro Russia separatists in Eastern Ukraine

We’re also hoping I should point out to make contact with Jessica Mabry a founder of video volunteers which is an organization which brings journalism training to some of some of the from India's poorest a communities.

Ladies and gentlemen our panel

Now you don’t just have to be in this room wherever you are you can put questions to the speakers…. for those who watching online we have our web host Charlie and White

Charlie:

Thanks very much Mark yes we do want to make sure that you guys get involved in the discussion here just because you know physically here in London doesn't mean you can't post your question to the panel and take take part , but generally actually.

We use hash tag hash tag Iq2news that iq2news and for those who already audience and you will be seen that flash up every now and then up on the screens in here so if you on twitter if you on Facebook make sure go on intelligence squared Facebook page also go to that Google plus pages as well while we do you have an on online debate happening that too so make sure you do get your questions and lot of you have already taken part in the debate I will be posting this questions to you a panel a little bit later on so just to reiterate the hash tag is hash tag iq2news Mark.

Okay thank Charlene now kick off I think to be useful to give our panellists a minute or so just to set out their views on citizen journalism we could start with Oren and how would you define citizen journalism first of all and how useful is it today?

I guess very useful so what we seen phenomenon or trended happening in last years but citizen have cameras, and thanks to technology development and what seeing lots of images that usually can’t see to traditional media is basically take two things did are problematic with traditional media first thing journalist cannot be everywhere and we all know that or going bankrupt now so they have lessons journalist all over.

17.4.2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5A8Tw3gGe4

The state of women

The Kurdish women warriors roll into the recaptured City a victory one just days ago against most barbaric enemy in the world. ISIS is in retreat here beaten by the most feared upon us.

What is it like to drive through town like Tel Homs and know that you have liberated it from ISIS? As a town and as a symbol Tel Homs it is very important to us it's a very big victory, It Shows everyone everywhere we are the wall between the world and this enemy.

On front lines across northern Syria the battle rages on.

The distance smoke of a coalition is strike marks ISIS heavy guns taken out moments before…. the female fighters the YPJ and their male compatriots at the YPG have just pushed ISIS back across this canal a vital defensive bearer and they will hold it at all costs. We can see people moving in that village and that is what we are shooting we will do everything to push them back.

The YPJ or peoples protection unit a cleaning ISIS out-of- their Kurdish homeland,,,, by day and by night, Street by street house by house,,,,,,, in many ways this is a far different more to the one that I covered here six months ago the battle is just is a fears but now the momentum seem to be on Kurd side, they forged in 80 kilometre front line here just in this northern part of Syria and just in the last four weeks they've recaptured two cities 400 towns and taken back nearly two-and-a-half thousand square kilometres.

Last September this town Rabiaa was intense frontline ISIS within 200 meters threatening to overrun us,,,, is there any chance ISIS could break though in… a month after we were here ISIS was pushed back over the horizon,,,, now the nearest position is other a hundred kilometres away,,,,, So green yellow is YPJ and the purple ISIS ?

When I last met Y PJ Commander Nasrin ISIS was at the peak its military power in Syria, now she shows me how the tide has turned in six months.

with the help of coalition airstrikes the Kurdish forces in Syria have retaken the major cities Tal Hamis Tal Tamer Tal Brak and Kobane on the Turkish border they have been victories and losses again ISIS in neighboring Iraq But right now its Syria where this war is being one “we have broken ISIS and push them back but they are trying to regain control by staging attacks against us mainly from the south”

The tenacity the female fighters and commanders like Nasrin has become legendary….. Where overlooking and ISIS held Village and they've just spot it and enemy vehicle on the move below …. Why you shooting this point? when we have seen… because now the ISIS far away from us and because he's now,,, see them as their cars we are shooting them ISIS fighters a racing for the cover of the village.

The firing is intense and with good reason just two weeks ago ISIS fighters from that position made over the walls this outpost,,, “are they try to move between the villages so they try to take over more villages? They are trying to not just move between the villages and also to control another village which we are now controlling…

now ISIS is training began on us…. now we shooting the big car with Doshka to the town against us they are preventative themselves to shooting us…. “We are ready to sacrifice ourselves to save humanity to protect society the civilisation here.

About Kurdish people

14/5/2016

Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. In recent decades, Kurds have increasingly influenced regional developments, fighting for autonomy in Turkey and playing prominent roles in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, where they have resisted the advance of the so-called Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. The Kurds are one of the indigenous people of the Mesopotamian plains and the highlands in what are now south-eastern Turkey, north-eastern Syria, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and south-western Armenia. Today, they form a distinctive community, united through race, culture and language, even though they have no standard dialect. They also adhere to a number of different religions and creeds, although the majority are Sunni Muslims. In the early 20th Century, many Kurds began to consider the creation of a homeland - generally referred to as "Kurdistan". After World War One and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Western allies made provision for a Kurdish state in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres. Such hopes were dashed three years later, however, when the Treaty of Lausanne, which set the boundaries of modern Turkey, made no provision for a Kurdish state and left Kurds with minority status in their respective countries. Over the next 80 years, any move by Kurds to set up an independent state was brutally quashed