Sally Hayden

So actually, when I moved there in January 2024, like, I wasn't choosing to be in a war.

The war actually happened as I was there, in which point you have to report on it, you know?

Like, you can't not report on it and be there.

But I think, yeah, I'm not somebody who's like, let me just go to the most terrible thing and...

You know, I do think we need to be conscious as well of like not being parachuting in and not just placing ourselves in things.

Like I would say in, yeah, maybe in certain situations, but like I, I mean, I live in Lebanon like two and a half years now.

So I don't think, like I didn't go there to report on the war.

I moved, I was actually on a reporting break when I moved there and then it started.

Yeah, I mean, in one sense, it is my job now, right?

So like, I am working for the Irish Times and sometimes for others as well.

And like, my job is to do this as well.

But yeah, I do.

I mean, I know that I've said big difference.

I like lost a lot of motivation with that.

You see small differences all the time.

You know, you see even people like reading stories that I've written in the Irish Times, you know, they'll

get in touch and say like how can I help this specific person how can I do this and that's still very meaningful um and I do yeah I mean I guess I believe in that but I also think like yeah why do I don't know like you start and then you kind of get used to doing something don't you but I think mentally like there is you know there's a big network of journalists who do similar reporting to me and you know other people who also want things reported and I'm not

Yeah, you talk about parachuting, like I don't like just arriving in a situation and forcing people to talk to me.

I tend to report on things when people want them reported.

And people reach out to me all the time saying, you know, can you come and report on this?