Journalist Anthony Shadid died in Syria today.  He was the finest journalist of his generation to cover the Middle East and a hell of a nice guy.  Anthony, born to Lebanese parents in Oklahoma, spent over a decade living in and reporting from Lebanon and Iraq, with trips to the surrounding countries.  He understood and loved the Arab world in a way few other journalists could match.  To work the streets with Anthony was a rare pleasure.  Signage, architecture and modes of dress took on new meaning as he explained the hidden markers outsiders missed.   Anthony focused on the plight of civilians caught in war.  Night Draws Near, his book on Iraq, is the definitive account of that war’s effect on ordinary civilians.  His passing is a tragic loss for his wife and two children and, to a lesser degree, for the entire world–a world much poorer without his warm humanity and empathetic journalism.  

I took the photos above of Anthony in March, 2010 in Baghdad.

Mike Kamber