HELD BY THE TALIBAN

This post is from UW-Madison student: Will Mueller

David Rohde of the New York Times is currently releasing a five-part series entitled “Held By The Taliban” in which he provides perhaps the most in-depth account possible of a terrifying event he did not expect to live through.

Rhode’s dedication to bringing a complete story to the public led him and two Afghan journalists on a journey to interview a Taliban commander, Abu Tayyeb, where they group was kidnapped and held until their escape more than seven months later.

While Rhode’s dedication to providing a complete picture jeopardized his life, his skills as a reporter yielded a detailed account of his kidnapping which would probably be otherwise impossible to obtain from interviewing someone else in that position.

Rhode’s knowledge of Afghan culture and of the geographic layout of the region allowed him to explain to readers not only where he was throughout his captivity, but brought light to some of the inner workings of the Taliban and showed the power they truly hold in the region.

Aside from the larger picture of a military society largely believed to be one where Osama Bin Laden is hiding, Rhode brought additional details to the story from the Kalashnikov rifles the young soldiers all carried to the Barbie blanked which he was given to sleep beneath.

This is an interesting case where the journalist becomes the story and writing it from the first person perspective allows readers inside of the mind of someone in a situation most Americans have no ability to imagine. The ability to piece together a seven month story without the option to take notes truly shows why this perspective is a unique one likely impossible without Rhode’s skills and journalistic techniques.