FORMER White Horse News reporter Sam Tarling continues to find himself covering dramatic events which are unfolding each day in the troubled Middle East.
Sam, who works as a photojournalist for Executive magazine, is based in Beirut. At the weekend, he was photographing demonstrations in Tripoli in northern Lebanon where the unrest has spilled over from Syria. Two people were killed and at least 12 injured in the clash between supporters and opponents of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Sam said, “The hardline Sunni/Salafi and Alawite communities have been at each other’s throats since the civil war, but things are heating up here as it’s now a sectarian microcosm for the fighting across the border in Syria.”
Just last month, Sam was also on the scene when a seven-story building just two blocks from his apartment in Beirut collapsed, killing 27 of the inhabitants. His photograph of the aftermath was sold to the international news agency Reuters.
Although recognising the human tragedy of the event, Sam says his job is necessary if change is to come.
Following the building’s collapse, Sam reported, “While Lebanese civil society rallied around those that survived and the community mourned those that it had lost, the Lebanese government’s response was nothing short of disgusting. Two of the survivors were arrested while still in hospital for having incorrect work visas, and the residents of an entire nearby building have been kept out of their homes because opposing political groups are fighting over who gets the kudos of sending in engineers and check that it’s safe. This tragedy quickly became a photo opportunity for Lebanon’s political elite, who shouted themselves hoarse trying to outdo each other with condemnations and calls for investigations.
“For me, this was a coup; I sold my picture to Reuters, one of the biggest news organisations in the world. It’s easy to feel like a vulture, gaining success from others’ misfortune, but such photos and stories are essential if those responsible for such travesties are ever to be held to account.”
Sam has worked as a photojournalist in Beirut since leaving the White Horse News in 2009. He has also covered action in hot spots in the area, such as reporting from war-torn Libya.
