'You see love every day and journalists don't always convey that': Author Sally Hayden • FRANCE 24

Key Concepts

• Human-Centric Journalism: A reporting approach that prioritizes individual human experiences, emotions, and resilience over purely statistical or geopolitical data.
• Dehumanization: The process by which traditional news reporting can "flatten" individuals in crisis, stripping away their complexity and agency.
• Love as a Catalyst: The argument that love—whether romantic, familial, or communal—is a primary driver of human action, even in the most extreme circumstances.
• Artificial Families: A concept observed in Rwanda where genocide survivors form new, non-biological family units to cope with loss and trauma.

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1. Main Topics and Key Points

Sally Hayden’s book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned (referenced here as This Is Also a Love Story), serves as a culmination of a decade of reporting across nine countries, including Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Japan, and Rwanda.

• The Shift in Perspective: Hayden argues that traditional journalism often focuses on the "headlines" (death tolls, political violence, and economic data), which can lead to the dehumanization of victims. Her work seeks to uncover the "love, connection, and human resilience" that persist despite catastrophe.
• The Role of Love: Hayden posits that love is not just an emotion but a motivator for action. Whether it is a son raiding a bank to pay for his father’s medical care or women searching for disappeared relatives, love is the underlying force driving these individuals.

2. Real-World Applications and Case Studies

• Lebanon (Economic Crisis): Hayden highlights the story of Bassam, who in 2022 stormed a Beirut bank with a gun and gasoline to access his own frozen savings for his father’s medical treatment. This case study illustrates how the economic collapse in Lebanon forced individuals into desperate acts of "love" to protect their families.
• Syria (Dictatorship): The book explores how the Assad regime weaponized love by using the imprisonment and torture of loved ones as a tool for control. Conversely, it highlights the courage of women who smuggled messages to imprisoned partners and led the search for the disappeared.
• Rwanda (Genocide Aftermath): Hayden documents "artificial families"—groups of survivors who lost their biological families and formed new, supportive units. She revisited these groups over a decade (2014–2024) to observe how they maintain communal bonds.
• Ukraine (War): The reporting focuses on the loneliness and emotional endurance of women whose partners are serving on the front lines, emphasizing the desire to share the experience of long-term separation.

3. Methodologies and Frameworks

• Long-form Immersion: Hayden’s methodology involves returning to subjects over years (e.g., the Rwandan survivors) to track the evolution of their resilience.
• Narrative Reframing: Instead of asking "What happened?" (the standard journalistic question), Hayden asks "How do you continue to exist and make choices in this situation?" This shifts the focus from the event to the human agency within the event.

4. Key Arguments

• Journalism’s Failure: Hayden argues that current journalistic formats often fail to capture the full reality of human life in conflict zones. By focusing solely on the "horrific turn," the media risks isolating the audience and stripping the subjects of their humanity.
• Universal Connection: The book argues that the desire to share one's story is a universal human trait. Even in vastly different crises (tsunamis in Japan vs. war in Ukraine), survivors express a need to connect with others who might face similar challenges in the future.

5. Notable Quotes

• "Humans always exist at the center of geopolitics. It sounds very obvious, but it sometimes isn't." — Sally Hayden
• "I don't think we always convey that as journalists... I wanted to put together some of the examples that I've seen... the fact that humans always exist at the center of geopolitics." — Sally Hayden

6. Synthesis and Conclusion

Sally Hayden’s work serves as a critique of the "flattening" effect of modern news reporting. By documenting the intersection of love and catastrophe, she provides a framework for a more empathetic form of journalism. The central takeaway is that even in the most dire geopolitical crises, love remains a fundamental, driving force. Her book acts as a bridge between the isolated, often overwhelmed reader in the West and the complex, resilient lives of those living through global crises, ultimately arguing that recognizing this shared humanity is essential for understanding the world.