To explore their interactive website with pictures, videos and powerful writing, click here. Below, I will share my thoughts on this incredible feat of journalism as well as how everyday Americans like myself have indirectly fueled this horrific slave trade.
The Associated Press used compelling images, video and writing to capture the human rights abuses taking place thousands of miles away. Not only did they use multimedia storytelling techniques, they involved government officials and in the process, implicated several major food retailers. A large team of reporters worked for over two years collecting data, tracking ships and investigating. The AP website does a good job of telling the story in order: the first story, all the way at the bottom of the site shows a photo gallery of the AP’s initial findings. After scrolling up through 11 multimedia stories, at the top you can see President Obama signing legislation preventing the import of slave-caught seafood.
The website has a link to the AP’s book, Fisherman Slaves. I think a book adds another dimension to the multimedia element because it provides something physical for readers to actually hold. Three out of the eleven stories about slave fishermen on the website had videos, and there are several other videos on YouTube about the issue.
As well as many moving pictures, there was very emotional and colorful writing as well:
“The Burmese fishermen who docked here spent months at sea, pulling up monstrous nets and sorting seafood around the clock. But the relief they felt after touching land was quickly replaced by desperation. They were trapped, held captive by Thai boat captains working for large fishing companies. Some men were locked in a cage for simply asking to go home. Others who managed to run away were stuck on the island, living off the land for a decade or longer. And just off a beach, a jungle-covered graveyard was crammed with the corpses of friends and strangers buried under false names.”
This investigation is admirable because journalists went through tough conditions and risked their safety for the story. I know about the epidemic of human trafficking, but I had no idea people were still stealing people from their homes and forcing them to do labor. I was naïve enough to think humans had evolved past accepting slavery.
This story reminded me how important the role of the media is in a country. If countries like Thailand and Indonesia had better protections for the press, maybe this type of slavery wouldn't have lasted as long as it has. The AP asks the tough question: “Are we reaping the benefits of modern slavery?”
The answer seems to be yes.
To learn more, visit
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/03/27/395589154/was-your-seafood-caught-by-slaves-ap-uncovers-unsavory-trade
http://interactives.ap.org/2015/seafood-from-slaves/?START=shrimp
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