The topic that I decided to choose was the humanitarian crisis that’s occurring in Yemen, which has a deep rooted history in controversial problems that are still continuing as of today with a civil war. The conflict escalating in 2015 when a coalition led by Saudi Arabia decided to join the war to support the internationally recognized government to achieve some kind of “Peace”. The war has caused immense suffering for the Yemeni people, with very small coverage behind the terror that’s occurring in Yemen. 

The publication I chose was CNN.com This particular article was written by Nima Elbaiger. Which falls under the journalism genre. The purpose of the article being written is to educate and inform those on the issue that’s occurring in Yemen and raise awareness and support. The targeted audience is the would be activists, who have been on high alert of the issues becoming more prevalent in the Middle East, specifically after Israeli’s  Palestinian annexing, which saw a major increase in coverage. The context behind this would be the underlying issues that’s happening such as blockades which in turn has caused a domino effect which has caused more catastrophic problems for the people of Yemen, for example in the article it states “Saudi warships have not allowed any oil tankers to berth at Hodeidah since the start of the year, the Houthis say, an assertion backed by the World Food Programme.” This quote mentions the struggle and frustration being had by the people of Yemen, oil in of itself in extremely important in any country, It’s led to fuel shortages, which in turn affects transportation, electricity, and essential services, which than becomes a bigger issue, people cannot get to places, like work, school, causing economic problems. Basic needs like showers, stoves and more because a luxury. Power outages becoming a regular occurrence. And people start to lose the privilege of doing things how they used too on there day to day lives before the war.

Another piece of publication that I used was a social media post by on twitter by “UNOCHA” or more professionally known as UN Humanitarian. Giving more information on what’s happening in Yemen. Which would fall into journalism. Unlike many social media posts regarding such topics, there was no bias shown in the post. The purpose of the post was to report on the crisis on food shortages and lack of funding on organizations that help the people of Yemen. Saying “The war in Yemen is causing hunger, displacement and economic collapse, with women and girls bearing the brunt.

Meanwhile, the aid operation – which helps 11 M people each month – is threatened by funding shortages.” Along with this it links an article of a UN representative named Ramesh Rajasingham that spoke of possible diplomacy in the country. The targeted audience would be most of the public. When reading social media it would seem as if the targeted audience would be again activists, who could in turn show more uproar in the crisis that is plaguing Yemen. I believe the context behind this would be the lack of publicity that this crisis is attracting, so sharing this post on social media gives more attention to a situation that requires urgent attention and support from the international community. With the support of humanitarian organizations, and urging governments to take action, people can make a difference.

My next source of information is the scholarly article I found describing the history of Yemen, by Zauchry Laub describing things one event after another, one particular interesting thing i found was the topic of how the division began, “Saudi-backed Yemen Arab Republic, in the north the USSR backed People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, to the south.” and continues to describe these events in detail. The genre is journalism which continues to be in the theme when researching about Yemen. The audience in this article would possibly be other researchers trying to get more information that is 100% factual and not from a source like “The New York Times”, as it gives its sources and in-depth explanations of events that happened. The context of this would have to be to give a non-bias 100% accurate information that allows us to advocate for justice, raise awareness, and support for the people of Yemen. Along with that, I believe that it gives us a ability to hold those accountable when someone is responsible for any wrongdoing and ensures that the international community is well-informed to take appropriate action. Having accurate information on what’s happening in Yemen is crucial for several reasons. It helps us understand the extent of the humanitarian crisis, the human rights violations, and the impact of the conflict on the Yemeni people.

My last source of information is a magazine article by Manon Quérouil-Bruneel called “between life and death in Yemen” . Which instead of giving straight facts. Describes the day to day life of the people of Yemen, being more of a mix of photo and digital journalism. Since it gives pictures along with anecdotal writing all over the article. A piece from the article that interested me in particular in “Between life and Death in Yemen” by Manon Querouil was “But when we visited in the fall, most Yemenis were more occupied just with survival. In Sana’a, war has become everyday. Every morning, people emerge with empty containers to seek drinkable water. At night” showing the real struggle of the Yemeni people. The intended audience when I read this article continues, as activist.  I think that what is done differently is that instead of talking about the facts everyone knows about. it actually describes the daily life of these people, which gets more people to really see the issues. A personal journalism experience can be an even better way to understand the issues in Yemen because it provides firsthand accounts and perspectives from the people directly affected by the crisis The context behind this is to give a whole new perspective to the way people see the problems in Yemen.