Pamela Williams grew up in New Vienna and is a 1979 graduate of East Clinton High School. After attending both Southern State Community College and Wilmington College, where she got her first journalism job working as a stringer for The Cincinnati Enquirer, she transferred to Ohio University where she received her degree in journalism in 1984.
After working for six months as the Associate Editor of The Clermont Sun, Williams sold all of her belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Amsterdam where she hoped to get an internship with The Associated Press. AP initially said no to her request but she went anyway, taking only $300, a suitcase and backpack. Her work has since appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, the International Herald Tribune and numerous other publications.
It’s been a great few weeks being back “home” after almost 31 years living and working in Amsterdam as a foreign correspondent. The last trip was nearly eight years ago, and the family was back now to celebrate the 90th birthday of my father, Gene Williams, on Nov. 14 at the General Denver.
Much has happened during the course of three decades of covering the news. I had Buckeye Media Company (BMC) for nearly 26 years and for the past decade I have been doing many book translations, various editorial work and new endeavours including translating subtitles for various film projects and working as the English Editor for two news websites in Iraqi Kurdistan.
I also travelled to Iraq to teach journalism classes at the Independent Media Centre Kurdistan (IMCK) in 2012. No two days are ever the same, which is exactly why I love what I do.
Many of my book projects focus on the Middle East and Iraq in particular. The first book translation project from this year is now available on Amazon.com as an eBook and is entitled The War of ISIS – On the Road to the Caliphate by Judit Neurink, a well-known Dutch journalist who has lived and worked in Iraqi Kurdistan for nearly 10 years. It offers detailed insight into how ISIS came to be from an expert on the Middle East.
A second book by Ms. Neurink from this year which I also translated is entitled The Women of the Caliphate: Slaves, Mothers and Jihadi Brides, which focuses on the diverse roles of women within ISIS and the caliphate and should soon be available.
Other projects which I am particularly proud of is the translation of The Edge of Civilization by the award-winning Dutch war photographer Eddy van Wessel, which encompasses more than 20 years of photography from numerous countries in the Middle East and Africa to Chechnya and includes many photographs you would never see in the media, and the video series Outside Syria by Marieke van der Velden and Philip Brink about Syrian refugees in camps in Lebanon.
Given my focus on the Middle East, the topic of conversation since I have been back here has largely pertained to what is going on now in the world. And my answer is always the same. I try to convince people to keep an open mind and especially to remain well-informed from various media sources about current events.
There is so much more to the news than only Fox News. Read as many newspapers as you can and remain open to other insights into the news than you might be doing now.
And most importantly, realize that ISIS has nothing to do with the Islamic faith but has everything to do with extremists who twist the truth to best suit their own needs. Saying that ISIS is representative of Muslims would be the same as saying that the Ku Klux Klan is representative to all Christians. Misinformation is a powerful tool, as is fear mongering.
Should we all remain alert? Of course, but being alert should not overtake or consume one’s life. Bad things do happen and hopefully can be prevented. But make every attempt to remain well informed and do not allow yourself to be misled by misinformation.
As always, knowledge is power. Garner that power and use it wisely.
When Pamela Williams returns to Amsterdam this month, it will be exactly 31 years to the day since she first arrived there. Williams can be reached at [email protected].
