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Photo team in Iraq celebrates AP's 48th Pulitzer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Associated Press photographers
Khalid Mohammed and Jim MacMillan were wrapping up yet another
long day at the Baghdad bureau April 4 when they got the news:
They were part of a team of AP photographers who had just
won a Pulitzer Prize.
"This a big deal?" asked Mohammed, an Iraqi who
had only recently heard of the award.
The 11-member AP team won the prize for breaking news photography,
the news cooperative's 48th Pulitzer, with a portfolio that
included images of three charred bodies of U.S. contractors
hanging from a bridge over the Tigris River; Marines praying
over a fallen comrade; and U.S. soldiers taking cover during
a gun battle in Najaf.
MacMillan said he found out when Director of Photography Santiago
Lyon sent him an instant message saying he should call New
York — now.
"I didn't suppose he wanted a call immediately to tell
us we lost," said MacMillan, who is returning to Philadelphia
after a year in Iraq. The AP entry included his picture of
an American serviceman trying to draw sniper fire with a helmet
designed to look like a soldier.
Mohammed, who took the March 2004 photo of Iraqis celebrating
over the charred bodies in Fallujah, said he was threatened
immediately after shooting the picture and had to flee within
five minutes by car.
"I told the driver to keep the engine running, just in
case," he said.
"Some people tried to prevent me from taking the picture,"
he said. "I had to move fast because I saw the situation
was very, very dangerous."
Mohammed's photos startled the world, and were a critical
part of Iraqi history after the U.S.-led invasion. Fallujah
instantly became a household name, recognized as an insurgent
stronghold until the U.S. military led a major assault on
the city in November.
He said he knew immediately his shots would be pivotal photos.
"I thought this would be a huge deal for everybody, not
just for me," he said.
The picture had both professional and personal significance
for Mohammed. His brother was pulled out of high school and
executed by the regime of Saddam Hussein in 1982 for refusing
to join the Baath Party. Mohammed was arrested soon after
and held several months
.
"In the ex-regime, we didn't have the freedom to do this,"
he said, pausing to show old scars on his ankles from when
Iraqi officials extinguished their cigarettes on his flesh.
"We have the responsibility to show the whole world what
is happening here," he said.
Besides Mohammed, the AP team included four other Iraqi photographers
— Bilal Hussein, Karim Kadim, Samir Mizban and Mohammed
Uraibi. Other members were MacMillan, John B. Moore, Murad
Sezer, Muhammed Muheisen, Anja Niedringhaus and Brennan Linsley.
Mohammed was proud to be in a select group of those who've
won the Pulitzer Prize.
"Iraqi photographers are like any photographers in the
world, but they need a chance to show their skill," he
said.
MacMillan said the team had risked their lives on a daily
basis to get the photos.
"It really comes down to the bravery of these guys,"
MacMillan said. "They are the bravest, most driven professionals
I've ever seen."
AP President and CEO Tom Curley agreed, telling colleagues
at New York headquarters: "These folks showed incredible
courage this year."
"They took some extraordinary pictures; they captured
some incredible moments in history and they did it in a way
that made all of us proud," he said.
AP's Pulitzer entry contained 20 photos. It was the news cooperative's
29th Pulitzer for photography.
"They are the images that people will always remember
from Iraq this year," said Kathleen Carroll, senior vice
president and executive editor.
On the Net::
PRESS RELEASE: AP
Wins Pulitzer for Breaking News Photography
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:The
Story Behind the Photo
PHOTO GALLERY:
Breaking News Photography
AP PULITZER HISTORY: http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pulitzer/list.html
PULITZER PRIZE WEB SITE: http://www.pulitzer.org
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