Campbell MacDiarmid
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Campbell MacDiarmid
@cammacd.bsky.social
230 followers 170 following 13 posts
Journalist from Aotearoa New Zealand. Now in Ottawa after a long stint in the Middle East
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Reposted by Campbell MacDiarmid
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“Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us remembers seeing our colleagues die of starvation.”

The AFP news release has been released in French. Below is an English translation via Google translate.
Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die - AFP, July 21, 2025 AFP has been working with one freelance writer, three photographers, and six freelance videographers in the Gaza Strip since the departure of its staff journalists in 2024. Along with a few others, they are now the only ones reporting what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The international press has been banned from entering the territory for nearly two years. We refuse to see them die. One of them, Bashar, has worked for AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then as a freelance photographer, and since 2024 as the main photographer. On Saturday, July 19, he managed to post a message on Facebook: "I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can no longer work." Bashar, 30, works and lives in conditions equal to those of all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another as Israeli bombardments dictate. For over a year, he has lived in absolute destitution and works at enormous risk to his life. Hygiene is a major problem for him, with periods of severe intestinal illness. Bashar has been living in the ruins of his Gaza City home since February with his mother, his four siblings, and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is devoid of any amenities or comforts, except for a few cushions. On Sunday morning, he reported that his older brother had "fallen from hunger." Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, there is nothing to buy, or only at exorbitant prices. The banking system has disappeared, and those who exchange money between online bank accounts and cash charge a commission of nearly 40%. AFP no longer has the means to have a vehicle, let alone the fuel to allow its journalists to travel for their reports. Traveling by car is tantamount to running the risk of being a target for the Israeli air force. AFP reporters therefore travel on foot or by donkey cart. Ahlam, for her part, survives in the south of the enclave. And she is determined to "bear witness" for as long as possible. "Every time I leave the tent to cover an event, conduct an interview, or document a story, I don't know if I'll come back alive." The biggest problem, she confirms, is the lack of food and water. We see their situation worsening. They are young, and their strength is failing them. Most no longer have the physical ability to travel the enclave to do their job. Their heartbreaking pleas for help are now daily. Over the past few days, we have understood from their brief messages that their lives no longer depend on much and that their courage, devoted for many months to informing the whole world, will not help them survive. We risk learning of their deaths at any moment, and it's unbearable. This Sunday, Bashar wrote: "For the first time, I feel defeated." Later that day, he told one of us that he thanked him "for explaining what we live daily between death and hunger." "I wish Mr. Macron could help me get out of this hell." Ahlam is still standing. "I try to continue practicing my profession, to carry the voice of the people, to document the truth in the face of all attempts to silence it. Here, resistance is not a choice: it's a necessity." Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us remembers seeing a colleagues die of starvation.
July 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Happy birthday! How is Baghdad these days?
June 26, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Campbell MacDiarmid
picardonhealth.bsky.social
Trump threats open 'floodgate' of inquiries from U.S. physicians about moving north. Some Canadian doctors and researchers are also turning down opportunities in the U.S., by @cammacd.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca
Trump threats open 'floodgate' of inquiries from U.S. physicians about moving north | CBC News
Canada's health-care system could stand to benefit from the political upheaval unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump as American physicians look to move north and Canadians forgo opportunities sout...
www.cbc.ca
March 31, 2025 at 6:04 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Hi there, I'm a journalist with CBC in Ottawa, wondering if you'd be willing to speak for a story about Americans moving to Canada? My work email is campbell.macdiarmid@cbc.ca 🙏
March 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Also if you're looking for the *perfect* gift for a loved one this holiday season, who could resist Pete's book about the link between climate change and rising violence? islandpress.org/books/heat-a...
The Heat and the Fury
islandpress.org
December 15, 2024 at 4:39 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
If you're interested in signing up for these newsletters you can do so here: www.campbellmacdiarmid.com/newsletter
Newsletter — Campbell MacDiarmid
www.campbellmacdiarmid.com
December 15, 2024 at 4:39 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Their story is better known since Kiwi writer Ben Stanley spent a year researching their story ahead of the 50th anniversary of Jim’s death. Ben got to know Garry as he was dying of cancer and produced a stunning Longform piece for North & South magazine in 2018, that sadly is not available online.
December 3, 2024 at 6:11 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Jim and his brother Garry were the sons of a US Marine who was stationed in New Zealand during WWII. The Lott boys both joined the Marines and served in Vietnam. Jim was killed in a rocket attack on Chu Lai in May 1968
December 3, 2024 at 6:11 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Thank you! 🫡
November 25, 2024 at 1:10 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Conflicted: Introduction Excerpt | Stanford University Press
INTRODUCTION War’s Lobby The Displacements of Journalism in Wartime Thus I stood there, safe and sound, and let the furious tumult pass by me.
www.sup.org
November 23, 2024 at 8:24 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
Isaac argues that by focusing on suffering, war reporting legitimates existing power structures. By not giving the same space to discussing the causes of violence, we cover war as if it was a natural disaster.

I cover some of this in the newsletter but I encourage you to read his book.
November 23, 2024 at 8:24 PM
cammacd.bsky.social
This week I spoke with Isaac Blacksin, whose book "Conflicted: Making News From Global War" challenges many of the assumptions of conflict reporting. mailchi.mp/7d35532ce69b...
November 23, 2024 at 8:24 PM