About Me
Hi! I am Noor Abdallah (she/her), a fourth-year at the University of Georgia majoring in journalism, criminal justice, and sociology. I am graduating in May 2024.
I picked up my first camera to make a documentary for my high school senior project. I filmed a homeless shelter navigating the difficulties of the pandemic. Between the shaky footage and underexposed lighting, it was not my best work. But by holding a camera, I learned more about a small community of people.
From this experience, I learned the intersectionality of storytelling and advocacy. Visual media can influence policy, shift societal opinion and change the world. Especially over the past two years, I've learned to not hide behind my camera, but use it as a way to meet people and tell their stories.
Like I said, I've always been a storyteller. Even if that was outside of journalism.
As a CURO (Center of Undergraduate Research Opportunities) Honors Scholar, I have used photovoice as a methodology to look at disability inclusion. I have also researched newsroom Instagram photojournalists and their photographs regarding the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
I have directed the Arch Policy Institute, a non-partisan student-run think tank to teach the policy-making process. I worked in an educational non-profit as an AmeriCorps VISTA to help students achieve their post-secondary goals.
Whether it was teaching English to kids in a small village in the West Bank or creating content to inform people about wrongful convictions, I've used media in some way to connect people to a mission.
My commitment to social justice goes beyond working at non-profits or writing stories about topics of oppression. In the work I do, I want to work beyond telling a story. I want to provide a platform to people to share their story and empower communities to create change.
I abide by the National Press Photographers Association's Code of Ethics. I also credit my photojournalism professor Mark E. Johnson for showing me the Writing with Light movement he helped launch. I strive to be transparent in the stories I tell, especially during a time when there is an attack on the integrity and credibility of journalists. With that, I adhere to the following principles from Writing with Light:
As recordings of the visible, journalistic photographs must be fair and accurate representations of what the photographer witnessed.
Neither alterations to a photograph that mislead the public, nor staging events while depicting them as spontaneous, are acceptable in journalism. Nor should one publish a photorealistic synthetic image made by artificial intelligence and pretend that it is an actual photograph.
Any deviations to these basic principles must be explained in a caption, credit, or appropriate icon.
