Monday, October 23, 2006

The Guardian just demoted me!!!

....and gave me an interservice transfer! For those who don't know, The Guardian is the UK's version of The New York Times meets The Nation. Anyway, a very nice person sent me the following email that I would like to invite my readers to take advantage of if they so desire.

Quoted in full:
Dear Sgt Salamander,

I hope you don't mind me emailing you - I spotted your blog and hoped that you might be able to help with a feature I'm working on.

I'm the commissioning editor on The Guardian newspaper in the UK, and I'm currently compiling a collection of letters, emails, blueys, e-blueys and even texts between people who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families and friends back home that we will run as a feature. It will be a totally non-political article, aiming to get across the experiences of the soldiers who are fighting or have fought in these wars, in their own words.

We will include a whole range of correspondence - everything from soldiers talking about the weather, where they're sleeping and what they have to eat, to how they're feeling and what frightens them. We'll be including material from people who are currently serving, and also the correspondence of those who have tragically died in the war. The feature will be a tribute to the lives and bravery of soldiers fighting on behalf of the US and the UK.

We've had a really amazing response so far, and everyone I've spoken to feels this feature is vitally important. A lot of families have had enough of war coverage being limited to statistics and facts, without proper acknowledgement of the enormous sacrifices and bravery of our soldiers.

Obviously, any correspondence that is passed on to me will be treated with the utmost care and respect, and nothing will be printed without express permission. Everything will also remain entirely anonymous and we won't include any material that could compromise security.

If you think you might be able contribute letters or emails, or know someone who would, I would be very grateful. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Many thanks for all your help!

Best wishes,


Becky Barnicoat
Commissioning Editor
Weekend Magazine
020 7713 4941
becky.barnicoat@guardian.co.uk
www.guardian.co.uk

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