00:00Palestine is still not a thing of the past.
00:02So for me, by combining my humanity, my humour,
00:07with storytelling, and even us, collectively, collaboratively,
00:11even on this podcast,
00:13I think that's how you cut through the noise
00:15and you reach people on a deeper level.
00:18For as much as my work speaks for itself,
00:20I'll be really truthful about this.
00:23I was so disillusioned at one point with my career in media,
00:25and journalism specifically,
00:27but one thing that no one can take away from me
00:29and I kind of tried to use this line with my dad
00:32when he's like, you know, what about your legacy?
00:33You have to have kids.
00:35And I was like, you're right.
00:35But, you know, where I've been in Tennessee
00:38and all over the world, in Mongolia and South Korea,
00:41all over the world, as a journalist,
00:43even if it had nothing to do with Palestine,
00:45everyone who I met knew I was Palestinian.
00:47I introduced myself.
00:48And they, I connected with them deeply where it matters,
00:52you know, on that deep human level.
00:54And even if the conversation wasn't deep,
00:55you don't have to like be cheesy and go deep
00:57and talk about your feelings and your shame
00:59and your insecurities.
01:00No, you just, you know,
01:01and that's one of the things I think
01:02that's been my saving grace.
01:04It's also my best quality as a journalist.
01:07People just seem to trust me
01:08because I think I'm very honest with them
01:10when they meet me.
01:11And, you know, you can't fake that funk.
01:13Like, and it's hard to teach as well
01:14because like, you know,
01:15it's just a way of being, you know,
01:17and I'm not trying to like,
01:18it might sound like I'm being arrogant,
01:20but what I mean is like,
01:21it's, you get to a certain age in life
01:22and you know what you're good at
01:23and what you're bad at.
01:24You know, you know what people respond to positively,
01:26what people respond to negatively.
01:28And I can't tell you how many times
01:30I've had people, complete strangers,
01:32in Flint, Michigan,
01:33covering the water crisis there,
01:35who within 25 minutes
01:36after our interview finishes,
01:37I'm like, you know,
01:39we've done all the interviews,
01:40tell me about the water,
01:40show me the skin rash,
01:41and then I'm like,
01:42well, yeah, so tell me about your son.
01:43Are you studying art?
01:44And then like 15 minutes later,
01:46they're telling me
01:47their deepest, darkest secrets.
01:48You know, the things
01:50that keep them up at night.
01:51And I don't know,
01:51those connections to me
01:53help to change the status quo,
01:55wherever,
01:55whether in Palestine
01:56or in Flint, Michigan.
Commentaires