Latest news with #GeorgePolk
Boston Globe
24-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Rod Nordland, 75, dies; war reporter who also wrote of his own struggle
With a toughness rooted in his wayward childhood and the brashness of a self-made man, Mr. Nordland was from an era before 'journalism became a prestige career for a bunch of Ivy Leaguers,' as he wrote in his memoir. Advertisement When he set out to become a reporter in the early 1970s, urban daily newspapers often had the money to support overseas bureaus, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, which sent him to Southeast Asia in 1979. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He did not move back to the United States for 40 years, until he was compelled to do so by his illness. His reporting gained reach and impact, and his life gained glamour, when he was poached by Newsweek in the mid-1980s. The perks of the job included an unlimited travel budget. He was on the scene and frequently running a news bureau during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War, the Lebanese Civil War, the Salvadoran Civil War, the Persian Gulf War, the war in Kosovo, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan, among other conflicts. Advertisement He initially joined the Times in its Baghdad bureau, and he took over responsibility for the Kabul bureau in 2013. His international reporting earned him multiple George Polk and Overseas Press Club awards. His specialties were recounting violence in unflinching prose; attending to the most vulnerable people in a conflict, often women and children; and narrating everyday dramas of war zones in epic terms. In 1999, he described for Newsweek what it was like for a 36-year-old mother to survive a mass murder surrounded by her children and relatives in a restaurant in a small town of southern Kosovo. In Afghanistan, he repeatedly wrote about the danger and brutality young couples faced when marrying without family approval. One of those stories -- about an 18-year-old young woman and 21-year-old man who had never been alone in a room together but nevertheless publicly proclaimed their love for each other, provoking death threats from relatives -- became a book called 'The Lovers: Afghanistan's Romeo and Juliet' (2016). A critical review in the Times called his efforts to help the couple with money and sanctuary while also making them into major media figures a form of dubious 'Western saviordom.' In a 2016 interview with The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Mr. Nordland responded, 'What is a savior complex?' he asked. 'The notion that it would be better for me not to get involved in their case so that they could be killed, and that would be the more ethically responsible course? I don't have a right to intervene and save their lives?' In 'Waiting for the Monsoon,' he reports that the couple moved to New Haven, where the man, Mohammad Ali, has worked as a handyman and driver. Advertisement Mr. Nordland (left) interviewed a martyr's relative, in Kobani cemetery, Syria, in 2018. MAURICIO LIMA/NYT Rodney Lee Nordland was born on July 17, 1949, in Philadelphia. His father, Ronald, he wrote in his memoir, was a mechanic who beat Rod, his five siblings, and his mother, Lorine Myers. Later in life, he learned that his father was 'repeatedly arrested and often convicted of sexual assaults on children, both boys and girls,' which he said explained why the family moved so frequently from one small Southern California town to another. Around 1960, his mother left his father and took the children to her family's home in Jenkintown, a suburb of Philadelphia. She worked a series of clerical jobs and relied on welfare to help feed her children, though they still sometimes went hungry. Beginning at age 13, Rod worked multiple jobs to support the family, including as a movie theater usher, newspaper delivery boy, dishwasher, country club caddie, semipro boxer, poker player, pool hustler, and occasional burglar. Around the age of 15, he and his best friend ran away to Miami, where they were caught shoplifting and spent two weeks in the county jail. He discovered a new, productive outlet for his inner turmoil as a senior in high school after his brother Gary got into an argument with a police officer, who subsequently beat him with a billy club. Rod wrote a furious letter about the episode to The Times-Chronicle, Jenkintown's local paper. Not long after, the police officer was suspended and apologized to Gary. The experience was a 'revelation,' Mr. Nordland wrote in his memoir. 'I could write my rage,' he wrote. 'Not only that, but doing so could result in some kind of change for the better. I could find the people who were like me, cowering from my father as a kid, or like my brother, smacked around by an irresponsible cop, or like my mother, abused by a violent husband and tormented by aggressive bill collectors.' Advertisement He attended Penn State on a full scholarship and graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He was immediately hired by The Inquirer. He had an important role on the team that won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for coverage of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. After he became a foreign correspondent, wars came to so define his life that he associated each of his children with a different conflict, he wrote in his memoir: 'Lorine, a child of the Bosnian conflict, was born in 1992; Johanna, a child of the Iraq War, in 1995; and Jake, a child of the war in Afghanistan, in 1998.' Still, he credited his terminal illness with giving him a new perspective. Laid low in the hospital, 'I could see clearly, finally, all the mistakes I had made,' he wrote. A 'volatile temper, 'arrogance' and 'certitude that dominated my every action' had 'helped make me a successful foreign correspondent and bureau chief but denied me the opportunity of becoming so much more.' His first marriage ended in divorce. He met Segal in 2016, whom he leaves along with his three children. Segal said that Mr. Nordland had been given only 14 months to live when he received his diagnosis, but with experimental treatments, led by Dr. Eric T. Wong of the Life Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, he survived for six years. Advertisement In his memoir, he connected his sense of the purpose of journalism to his memories of growing up. 'That my father's treatment of all of us, especially Mommy, was hidden from public view, that he managed to continue his life of criminal abuse relatively unscathed, at least within our family, enraged me,' he wrote. 'What was the point of being a journalist if you didn't make hidden injustices visible?' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Construction work unearths remains of 33 skeletons, woman's shoe
Construction work near one of Greece's most notorious prisons in Thessaloniki has unearthed the remains of dozens of people executed during the Greek Civil War era, relatives and officials said Wednesday. The grisly find included the discovery of footwear, including the remnants of a woman's shoe. So far, 33 skeletons have been found near Eptapyrgio prison northeast of the city, a former Byzantine-era fortress later known as Yedi Kule under Ottoman rule, city officials said in a statement. The Greek civil war lasted from 1946 to 1949 but executions of political prisoners held for alleged affiliation to the Greek communist party (KKE) continued for years thereafter. It is estimated that over 150,000 people lost their lives during the conflict, while around 800,000 people were displaced. CBS News journalist George Polk, who had depicted the right-wing Greek government as corrupt, was among those killed during the war. "We are here today with very mixed feelings. We are happy because, even after 80 years of delay, we found the skeletons of the people who lost their lives for their ideas and for the country," said the local mayor of Sykies municipality, Simos Daniilidis. But he added that they were "saddened, embittered, and angry" because of the killings, which he termed "inhumane, horrific, inconceivable things for today's Greek civilization." One of the victims is believed to be a woman "after traces of a woman's shoe were found," officials said. Several shoes worn by young adults were also unearthed, said the officials, who posted images of the footwear. The first remains were discovered in December during work on a city park. At the time, local officials ruled that the skeletons were of no archaeological interest, but Daniilidis, "believing that there is enormous historical and political interest," requested that archaeologists excavate the wider area of the park. "In the dark years of the civil war, the area was used for the execution of political prisoners, or the relocation of their bodies, as it was very near the prison and was uninhabited at the time," Sykies municipality said in a statement. "We don't know where he is buried" Many of the victims are believed to have been killed for links with the KKE. A party delegation was present Wednesday to lay flowers at the site. With assistance from archaeologists, the excavation has uncovered clothes, jewelry and bullets. "Thirty-three skeletons were discovered in four clusters. The skeletons are not in very good condition due to the soil and conditions. They are very fragile," said archaeologist Stavroula Tsevrini. The findings have been handed over to the police and efforts have already begun to identify the skeletons through DNA tests. The municipality has put out a call for relatives and descendants of civil war victims to step forward to speed up the identification process. The KKE party is compiling a list of executed political prisoners for publication. "During the civil war in this region, approximately 400 people held in Yedi Kule as political prisoners were executed," said Spyros Kouzinopoulos, a journalist who has written a book on the issue, drawing on police archives. "The executed were buried in mass graves without their relatives knowing where each one was buried. Here the area is full of remains," he told AFP. Miltiadis Parathyras said his uncle Rigas was executed at the location in March 1951. "He was a captain in the (communist) Democratic Army, arrested in 1949 and held in prison for about two years. He was executed at the age of 24 along with five others in March 1951," he said. "We don't know where he is buried. Where did they throw him?" In a statement, the city said efforts to find other mass graves would continue "so that all the skeletons of the people who lost their lives in this way during the dark years of the Civil War and were not given the honors traditionally attributed to the dead are found." Sneak peek: The Puzzling Death of Susann Sills Inside Trump's call with Vladimir Putin 100 years since deadliest tornado in U.S. history
CBS News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Construction work unearths skeletons of dozens of people executed in Greece during the 1940s
Construction work near one of Greece's most notorious prisons in Thessaloniki has unearthed the remains of dozens of people executed during the Greek Civil War era, relatives and officials said Wednesday. The grisly find included the discovery of footwear, including the remnants of a woman's shoe. So far, 33 skeletons have been found near Eptapyrgio prison northeast of the city, a former Byzantine-era fortress later known as Yedi Kule under Ottoman rule, city officials said in a statement . The Greek civil war lasted from 1946 to 1949 but executions of political prisoners held for alleged affiliation to the Greek communist party (KKE) continued for years thereafter. It is estimated that over 150,000 people lost their lives during the conflict, while around 800,000 people were displaced. CBS News journalist George Polk , who had depicted the right-wing Greek government as corrupt, was among those killed during the war. "We are here today with very mixed feelings. We are happy because, even after 80 years of delay, we found the skeletons of the people who lost their lives for their ideas and for the country," said the local mayor of Sykies municipality, Simos Daniilidis. But he added that they were "saddened, embittered, and angry" because of the killings, which he termed "inhumane, horrific, inconceivable things for today's Greek civilization." One of the victims is believed to be a woman "after traces of a woman's shoe were found," officials said. Several shoes worn by young adults were also unearthed, said the officials, who posted images of the footwear. The first remains were discovered in December during work on a city park. At the time, local officials ruled that the skeletons were of no archaeological interest, but Daniilidis, "believing that there is enormous historical and political interest," requested that archaeologists excavate the wider area of the park. "In the dark years of the civil war, the area was used for the execution of political prisoners, or the relocation of their bodies, as it was very near the prison and was uninhabited at the time," Sykies municipality said in a statement. Many of the victims are believed to have been killed for links with the KKE. A party delegation was present Wednesday to lay flowers at the site. With assistance from archaeologists, the excavation has uncovered clothes, jewelry and bullets. "Thirty-three skeletons were discovered in four clusters. The skeletons are not in very good condition due to the soil and conditions. They are very fragile," said archaeologist Stavroula Tsevrini. The findings have been handed over to the police and efforts have already begun to identify the skeletons through DNA tests. The municipality has put out a call for relatives and descendants of civil war victims to step forward to speed up the identification process. The KKE party is compiling a list of executed political prisoners for publication. "During the civil war in this region, approximately 400 people held in Yedi Kule as political prisoners were executed," said Spyros Kouzinopoulos, a journalist who has written a book on the issue, drawing on police archives. "The executed were buried in mass graves without their relatives knowing where each one was buried. Here the area is full of remains," he told AFP. Miltiadis Parathyras said his uncle Rigas was executed at the location in March 1951. "He was a captain in the (communist) Democratic Army, arrested in 1949 and held in prison for about two years. He was executed at the age of 24 along with five others in March 1951," he said. "We don't know where he is buried. Where did they throw him?" In a statement , the city said efforts to find other mass graves would continue "so that all the skeletons of the people who lost their lives in this way during the dark years of the Civil War and were not given the honors traditionally attributed to the dead are found."
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
George Polk Awards honor reporting on conflicts in Israel, Sudan, Ukraine and Haiti
NEW YORK (AP) — Reporting on four of the world's major conflict zones — Israel, Sudan, Ukraine and Haiti — was honored Monday with George Polk awards, one of journalism's highest honors. And one of the winners is a grand niece of the award's namesake. Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti of The New York Times Magazine won the Foreign Reporting prize for exposing how Israel condoned and shaped government policy in favor of ultranationalist settlers who terrorized Palestinians in the West Bank. Declan Walsh and his colleagues at The New York Times won the War Reporting prize for coverage of the civil war in Sudan. The United Arab Emirates paused some of its operations in the war-ravaged nation after Walsh reported that it and other countries were playing a secret role in the conflict in an effort to obtain resources and power. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Sarah A. Topol of The New York Times Magazine received the Sydney Schanberg Prize for long-form investigative or enterprise journalism for 'The Deserter,' a 35,000-word portrait of a combat officer who defected from the Russian military after the invasion of Ukraine. Marcia Biggs and a team from PBS NewsHour won the Foreign Television Reporting prize for their 'Haiti in Crisis' series, which documented how gang violence had upended daily life in the Caribbean nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. Biggs is a grand niece of the awards' namesake, George Polk, a CBS reporter who was killed while covering the Greek civil war. The awards, presented by Long Island University, were created in 1949 in his honor. This year, 15 winners were selected from nearly 500 submissions. Winners will be celebrated at a luncheon ceremony April 4 in Manhattan. 'Given the range and depth of exceptional reporting before us, winnowing the list to these 15 meant making some very hard calls," Polk Awards curator John Darnton said. "These winners represent the best of the best. The runners-up were all worthy.' Other winners included: Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher of The Baltimore Banner for Local Reporting for revealing the breadth and impact of a lethal overdose crisis; Sara DiNatale of the San Antonio Express-News for State Reporting for exposing solar energy scams that targeted elderly homeowners; and Katherine Eban of Vanity Fair for National Reporting for showing how politics and economic interests hampered the government's response to bird flu. The Justice Reporting prize went to Katey Rusch and Casey Smith, whose "Right to Remain Secret" series in the San Francisco Chronicle exposed how police officers arranged to clear their records of misconduct allegations, enabling them to collect hefty pensions. The Health Care Reporting prize went to a team from STAT for a six-part series on UnitedHealth Group's influence on all aspects of health care. The Medical Reporting prize went to a team from ProPublica for exposing how strict abortion bans led to preventable deaths of pregnant women. The Technology Reporting prize went to Bloomberg Businessweek for stories revealing how sexual predators and drug dealers use online gaming and social media platforms to exploit children. Two magazine writers were honored for exposes. Jane Mayer of The New Yorker received the Political Reporting prize for 'Pete Hegseth's Secret History,' chronicling the Defense Secretary's troubled past. Rachel Aviv of The New Yorker received the Magazine Reporting prize for 'Alice Munro's Passive Voice,' detailing the late novelist's dismissive reaction to allegations that a romantic partner had sexually abused her daughter. A team from NBC News and Noticias Telemundo, including the late Susan Carroll, was awarded the National Television Reporting prize for exposing how a Texas medical school was dismembering corpses of people who died alone and leasing the body parts for research and education. The Podcast prize went to Ben Austen and Bill Healy for Audible's 'The Parole Room,' which tracks a man's 20th attempt to win his release from prison, more than a half-century after he was convicted of killing two Chicago police officers — a crime he maintains he did not commit.
Associated Press
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
George Polk Awards honor reporting on conflicts in Israel, Sudan, Ukraine and Haiti
NEW YORK (AP) — Reporting on four of the world's major conflict zones — Israel, Sudan, Ukraine and Haiti — was honored Monday with George Polk awards, one of journalism's highest honors. And one of the winners is a grand niece of the award's namesake. Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti of The New York Times Magazine won the Foreign Reporting prize for exposing how Israel condoned and shaped government policy in favor of ultranationalist settlers who terrorized Palestinians in the West Bank. Declan Walsh and his colleagues at The New York Times won the War Reporting prize for coverage of the civil war in Sudan. The United Arab Emirates paused some of its operations in the war-ravaged nation after Walsh reported that it and other countries were playing a secret role in the conflict in an effort to obtain resources and power. Sarah A. Topol of The New York Times Magazine received the Sydney Schanberg Prize for long-form investigative or enterprise journalism for 'The Deserter,' a 35,000-word portrait of a combat officer who defected from the Russian military after the invasion of Ukraine. 'Haiti in Crisis' series, which documented how gang violence had upended daily life in the Caribbean nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. Biggs is a grand niece of the awards' namesake, George Polk, a CBS reporter who was killed while covering the Greek civil war. The awards, presented by Long Island University, were created in 1949 in his honor. This year, 15 winners were selected from nearly 500 submissions. Winners will be celebrated at a luncheon ceremony April 4 in Manhattan. 'Given the range and depth of exceptional reporting before us, winnowing the list to these 15 meant making some very hard calls,' Polk Awards curator John Darnton said. 'These winners represent the best of the best. The runners-up were all worthy.' Other winners included: Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher of The Baltimore Banner for Local Reporting for revealing the breadth and impact of a lethal overdose crisis; Sara DiNatale of the San Antonio Express-News for State Reporting for exposing solar energy scams that targeted elderly homeowners; and Katherine Eban of Vanity Fair for National Reporting for showing how politics and economic interests hampered the government's response to bird flu. The Justice Reporting prize went to Katey Rusch and Casey Smith, whose 'Right to Remain Secret' series in the San Francisco Chronicle exposed how police officers arranged to clear their records of misconduct allegations, enabling them to collect hefty pensions. The Health Care Reporting prize went to a team from STAT for a six-part series on UnitedHealth Group's influence on all aspects of health care. The Medical Reporting prize went to a team from ProPublica for exposing how strict abortion bans led to preventable deaths of pregnant women. The Technology Reporting prize went to Bloomberg Businessweek for stories revealing how sexual predators and drug dealers use online gaming and social media platforms to exploit children. Two magazine writers were honored for exposes. Jane Mayer of The New Yorker received the Political Reporting prize for 'Pete Hegseth's Secret History,' chronicling the Defense Secretary's troubled past. Rachel Aviv of The New Yorker received the Magazine Reporting prize for 'Alice Munro's Passive Voice,' detailing the late novelist's dismissive reaction to allegations that a romantic partner had sexually abused her daughter. A team from NBC News and Noticias Telemundo, including the late Susan Carroll, was awarded the National Television Reporting prize for exposing how a Texas medical school was dismembering corpses of people who died alone and leasing the body parts for research and education. The Podcast prize went to Ben Austen and Bill Healy for Audible's 'The Parole Room,' which tracks a man's 20th attempt to win his release from prison, more than a half-century after he was convicted of killing two Chicago police officers — a crime he maintains he did not commit.
