People’s journalism under fire: Remembering Ali Mustafa

Freelance journalists face incredibly tough conditions in war zones around the world with limited resources and little in the way of safety nets. What they do have is a passion for the story.

"People's Journalism: Reporting Under Fire" is a panel discussion that took place in Toronto on March 14. The discussion focuses on the role of freelancing in war zones and commemorates the life of one such freelancer: Ali Mustafa.

Mustafa was a Toronto-based freelance photojournalist, activist and writer. He died along with seven others on March 9, 2014 in Aleppo, Syria in an aerial bombing. The panellists knew Mustafa personally.

Panelists were: independent journalist, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, of Democracy Now; Jihan Hafiz, who has reported for Al Jazeera America; and documentary filmmaker, Reed Lindsay. Their discussion is grounded in their relationship to Mustafa and the life he led as a freelance photojournalist in Palestine, Egypt and Syria.

This lecture was organized by the Ali Mustafa Collective who came together after his death to celebrate Mustafa's legacy. The panel was moderated by community organizer, Datejie Green.