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After Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, some Afghan journalists were forced to flee the country. A handful of them have resettled in the United States to begin a new life. VOA’s Matiullah Abid reports from Houston, Texas.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptAfghan Journalist Start Over in US - Abid
HEADLINE: Afghan Journalists Relocated to US Hope to Return to Homeland
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: (1/20/22 & TIME) 1015a
BYLINE: Matiullah Abid
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Houston, Texas
VIDEOGRAPHER: Matiullah Abid
PRODUCER: Matiullah Abid
SCRIPT WRITER: Roshan Noorzai
SCRIPT EDITORS: Enochs, Reifenrath,
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Afghan Service
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 1:59
VID APPROVED BY: sb
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: ENGLISH WEB EDITORS: Please HOLD these for publication online until Monday, February 14 when they are scheduled to be published on a standalone webpage ))
((INTRO))
[[After Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, some Afghan journalists were forced to flee the country. A handful of them have resettled in the United States to begin a new life. VOA’s Matiullah Abid reports from Houston, Texas.]]
((NARRATOR))
Zabihullah Ghazi, an award-winning freelance reporter who has worked with numerous agencies including The New York Times and Voice of America, has now resettled in Houston, Texas. He is one of the hundreds of journalists who managed to flee Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in August 2021.
((Zabihullah Ghazi, Freelance Journalist (Male, Pashto))) (Video 00:39 – 00:51))
“If I know that it is safe to live, and one does not die from hunger, and at least there is an opportunity to work, [I will return]. No one wants to be a refugee or stay in other countries forever.”
((NARRATOR))
According to Reporters Without Borders, since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, 40% of media businesses have closed and approximately 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs.
Ishaq Sadat worked for Enikass TV in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan.
His goal, he says, is to settle into his new life in Houston while continuing his studies.
((Ishaq Sadat, Former Afghan Journalist (Male, Pashto))) (Video 1:51 – 2:10))
“Now that I have arrived in the U.S., my plan is to study and become familiar with the new environment, and to use this experience in my country in the future. This will be a great achievement for me."
((NARRATOR))
Sadat says he feels home when he interacts with other Afghans living in the United States.
((Ishaq Sadat, Former Afghan Journalist (Male, Pashto)))
“When we see our Afghans, we feel a sense of community.”
((NARRATOR))
The State Department said in December that the U.S. government is funding the resettlement of 95,000 people who fled Afghanistan for the United States.
Matiullah Abid, VOANEWS, Houston, Texas
NewsML Media TopicsConflict, War and Peace, Lifestyle and Leisure, Human Interest, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 14, 2022 20:03 EST
BylineMatiullah Abid
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
