Former KSDK reporter Farrah Fazal’s career as an investigative journalist has transported her from her Midwest home to conflict zones in Somalia, Bosnia and Pakistan. Most recently, Fazal’s work took her to the Middle East, where she covered Syrian refugees crossing the border into Lebanon.
Fazal told host Don Marsh on Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air that she “felt a calling” earlier this year to cover the war in Syria and other conflict zones – using the personal stories of those affected by the conflicts to help others understand their situations better.
“I realized as the war [in Syria] kept going … it touched me that there was not enough [journalists] there,” Fazal said. “That’s a job that’s incumbent upon me – to help you care, to help you understand why that kid matters … why you should care that half a million people died … in a war that’s been going on for the past seven years.”
Witnessing famines, children starving to death, makeshift doctor offices and refugee camps, Fazal detailed harrowing stories of people stuck in conflict zones and those trying to make it out on Thursday’s program.
She also explained what it’s like being a journalist navigating these war zones.
"That's a job that's incumbent upon me to help you care, to help you understand why that kid matters ... why you should care that half a million people died ... in a war that's been going on for the past seven years."
“We tell you the stories that we hope you want to hear, that you need to hear, but those stories take a toll on us too,” Fazal explained. “And I carry those stories with me. There are many stories sitting in my phone that I haven’t been able to tell yet.”
Fazal’s extensive local and international work as a reporter and an advocate on behalf of journalists and refugees has been recognized widely. She posts about her travels across her digital platforms, including: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
“It has always been the North Star to tell stories of people who are forgotten, and it always will be,” she added.
Listen to the full conversation to hear details about Fazal’s international reporting:
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Xandra Ellin give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
