By Kulamarva Balakrishna
Vienna,Wednesday,November 28,2007: Here is a challenging opportunity for clear thinking and energetic reporters. New York based The Nation Institute offers funds upwards of a thousand dollars for impacting scientific reporting or what is popularly known as investigative reporting,
of the highest standard.Depending upon the nature of the reports,the institute considers proposals for providing roller funding.I am publishing the open challenge offered by Ms.Esther Kaplan,Investigative Editor of The Nation Institute Magazine,New York open to world wide reporters, with my own response to her to put things in perspective as far as the stakes are concerned in reporting.A reporter´s stake is very high indeed.He should aim to win for the sake of our global home and family.I have just heard from Ms.Esther Kaplan, the reports are meant for publication in the American,meaning the U.S.media first.The reprinting rights are open for negotiation with The Nation Institute.(kb.)
Dear Ms.Esther Kaplan,
I am grateful to Prof.Sree Sreenivasan for guiding you to me,who sent news about your offering funds for investigative reporting.
Just for introduction,I am a journalist since 1953, specializing in the sixties on reporting organized crime and then enlarged the field later the area of investigative reporting to cover contemporary history,giving the challenge a new dimension as scientific reporting that is based on research as think input for policies and public opinion awareness.Now I am living in Vienna, Austria for the last 32 years (1975 on wards, after the brief introduction of censorship in India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi´s emergency rule).I am without pancreas after an abdominal operation undergone on December 14,1999.I manage to live as I promised to my
great surgical doctor,Prof.Max Wunderlich,being helpful to our society.It was because of this,I am running a kind of blog website humans austria. Under the banner,I am now attacking the problem of removing the menace of =TERRORISM= from our midst.
This is an area investigating reporting by a team should help.Between six to a dozen serious investigative reporters led by a coordinator,helped by a deputy,who should provide clear think input reports how every dollar spent in importing energy by way of crude petroleum, funds 15 cents for the financing of =TERRORISM= globally.This is an accounting process,in the same way
Atoms for Peace safeguards accounting is managed institutionally and globally.The investigative reporting without being sheltered under a huge house can use monitoring,social development accounting,social groups behavioral monitoring for pin pointing social engineering or the opposite subversive implications.
For example,the reporters should open core issues hidden from openly reported facts like in Saudi Arabia,when Ambassador Curtin Winsor reports that =Chief Justice of Saudi Arabia´s Supreme Judiciary, Saleh bin Muhammad al-Luhaidan advising young Saudis at a government mosque on how to infiltrate Iraq and fight U.S.troops as well as assuring them that Saudi security forces would not punish them after their return (in case they do)=.First the word =supreme judiciary= is misleading to us.This Saudi supreme judiciary consists of four conflicting schools of 1,500 year old Islamic vertical gossip/hadith,purana/ based sharia law not Roman Law is to be made clear to the readers.These conflicting schools are Jihadi schools of
1.hambali, 2.shafii,3.hanafi and 4.maliki.Under this law in Saudi minority Shia district, an 18 year old girl, gang raped by seven ruffians fourteen times in 2005, under trail and in virtue police custody.Now she has been is punished to get 200 whip lashes in the public.The case is being pushed under carpet.It need to be exposed for full public gaze and accountability.The so called convicting judges are none other than camel hair bearded mumbo jumbo mullahs,who have converted female life in Wahabi Arab Society,to virtual hell life.
The Wahabi Arab Economy invested,according to Ambassador Winsor´s calculation some 87 billion dollars,being a mere ten percent of the actual 870 billion diverted from the Saudi economy to over 3,000 mosques,islamic centers,madrasas and other theological marketing outfits in contrast to what the Soviet Union,during its 70 years of life, spent a mere 9 billion dollars on marketing proletariat Communist ideology!Then we come to the real nature of TERROR FINANCING during the post Shah in Shah Period of 25 years covered by Ambassador Winsor´s study for Mideast Mirror!
So do be clear, as Investigative Reporting editor you need to fund a team´s work and the
coordinator need to use every cent fully focussed on the danger of TERRORISM, and its
breeding ground realities.I have already addressed a letter to the Nobel Foundation Board
suggesting them accept women´s equality on same footing as they considered climatic stability campaign of Al Gore as ground for awarding Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2007.The next prize, taking nomination process begins in September 2008,the target is for 2009 peace prize, for any individual,institution,or movement working for women´s equality, particularly for Arab women especially Saudi should be merited for nomination for the award.If the Arab women are freed and allowed to hold their head HIGH and show their faces, just like Aristophanes Lysistrata liberated Greek men from the addiction of war the Muslim men can be liberated from their Jihadi addiction.The cause of women´s liberation by accepting dedication of man,woman, institution or movement for the cause of women´s liberation a ground for awarding the nobel peace prize,is of utmost importance for the entire humanity.
It may interest you in India just now is raging a controversy.It is about Bangladesh´s best humane medical doctor and author of highest integrity, Dr.Taslima Nasrin,whom I have adopted as my second daughter.If she should be allowed to live in India or anywhere else in the world is the issue.Indian communists ruling West Bengal with Calcutta, now called Kolkata as State Headquarters, want to tell her =get lost=simply because they want to appease some Indian minority jihadist voters.Not that appeasement helps.It did not help with HITLER. By throwing Dr.Taslima into history´s dust bin is not going to stop Jahadists to make other demands and go on their more aggressive attacks.So we can not do that.We can not leave a brave woman,a medical doctor and thinker at that, who saved female children from rapes, healed them after raped by relatives,showed the guts to defend minority faith humans at the mercy of jihadist wolves.We have to protect her as we protect our standard bearer flags.She is our asset.She should be our rallying point of symbol.By giving away ground no campaign is won.We have to work with whole hearted resolution if we have to make our earth safe for next generations of humans.All the issues are inter-connected. To gather inputs by bits and pieces and compose a whole picture as think input to policy is all about investigating reporting or scientific reporting of the highest order.Do give a serious thought to my points when you consider proposals.
I am publishing your challenging offer of funding for investigative journalism in any case on my website.If any input, you need from me, a 73 year old sick man but with a single determination to the last breath, do not hesitate to send me a line.You have my input all for the asking for free, since the stake is our children´s lives.All the best to you Ms.Esther Kaplan.-kb.
grab opportunity
An opportunity from The Nation Institute - open to U.S. and international projects. Please send your questions to Esther Kaplan below and read more at
http://nationinstitute.org
From: Esther Kaplan, Investigative Editor, The Nation Institute
I've recently started a new job running an investigative journalism project at the Nation Institute, which is the nonprofit arm of the Nation magazine. The investigative fund is a pretty amazing resource for independent investigative journalists -- we can provide support above and
beyond whatever (inadequate) article fee you might get,to allow you to spend some real time and expense reporting a story.
Before year's end, I'm particularly interested in investigations related to the Bush administration, especially around such phenoms as privatization and outsourcing that will be major tasks for any new administration to clean up. And of course, campaign '08 stories, whether
about candidates, money in politics, voter suppression plans, etc.
But in general, proposals are welcome on any juicy investigative topic --domestic or international -- especially if you think the story could have a real impact. Stories that have been commissioned in the fund's short three years of existence have sparked Congressional hearings, caused a Bush advisor to step down, and forced members of Congress to change their
stance on legislation. You can check out some past stories here:
http://www.nationinstitute.org
Most grants vary from $1,000 to cover travel costs for a reporting trip to $10,000 for a time-consuming investigation. If a proposal has the potential to have a major impact, we do, on rare occasions, make larger grants. We review proposals on a rolling basis, usually every two to
three weeks.
The basic info is below.Please send any questions or proposals to my email below.
Yours, Esther
ABOUT THE FUND
The Nation Institute's Investigative Fund provides support for the research costs associated with investigative journalism. The Fund emphasizes reporting on subjects often ignored by the mainstream media, and seeks to improve the scope and overall quality of investigative
reporting in the independent press. Above all, we want to support reporting with the potential to have a social impact.The Fund encourages its grant recipients to publish their findings in a variety of print, broadcast, and electronic outlets.
HOW TO APPLY
The first step in applying is to email us a story query and a budget request. It's useful to include information about what's new and enterprising about the research, your reporting approach, the story's potential impact, and what publication or broadcast outlet is interested in the piece. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
E-mail: esther@nationinstitute.org
Good luck (end)
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