Don Belt

Former writer/foreign editor @NatGeoMag: global #water #MiddleEast SAsia; #Chautauqua spkr; #Edenwalk; @urichmond prof; comms strategist; proud dad, soccer nut.

[Clarissa Ward @clarissaward]

In nearly twenty years as a journalist, this was one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed.

https://t.co/rG3WmhKh7X

[CNN International PR @cnnipr]

"Syria is free."

Extraordinary moment as @clarissaward and her team witness a Syrian prisoner freed from a secret prison in Damascus.

Left alone for days without food, water or light, the man was unaware Bashar al-Assad's regime had fallen.

[Peter Harling @PeterHarling]

I once had a surprisingly frank chat with a member of Assad's guard. He would stand sentry around his home, and was occasionally part of his retinue when traveling within Syria.

It was a surreal conversation. It summed up for me the regime's dependence on "an army of slaves" 🧵

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

A new video update from the @outofedenwalk trail by the team at National Geographic-Japan: What ‘sparks’ human exploration? @acehotelkyoto @NatGeo_Asia
#EdenWalk
https://t.co/t3ti3D2mr3

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

A lecture about @outofedenwalk followed by a panel discussion on ‘slow living’ with Buddhist Rev. DAIKO MATSUYAMA & traditional arts patron TINA KOYAMA is open to all at @acehotel in #Kyoto on Friday November 22 at 5 pm. @natgeotv_jp @acehotel

Details: https://t.co/ZhbvhpSTC0

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

As some pathways fade, others become apparent. Obstacles and gaps are part of any story. Originally, @outofedenwalk planned to cross from #China into #Siberia. But the Russian route is too fraught. At least for now. So, new trails unspool in #SouthKorea and #Japan. #EdenWalk

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

I’m still processing the 6700-km walk across #China: a 2-year-long trail into the hearts of strangers as much as through seven provinces. I bow in gratitude to my family of walking partners in China who made it all possible. 深深地感谢你 @outofedenwalk https://t.co/vu6ojt6pKx

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

Readers ask about favorite walked horizons on the @outofedenwalk. Comparing landscapes on a 25K-mile trek is like comparing friends: You love them for different reasons. But the sky-hammered deserts of #Mangystau, in #Kazakhstan, recur often in my dreams. https://t.co/suBPLsm2wv

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

This a good news for global #wildlife—& for the investigative journalists who expose the destruction of the planet’s remaining biodiversity. A new #environmental #journalism platform run by former @natgeo editors & reporters. Congrats @OlliePayneHere @Rachael_Bale @rebersole

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

@outofedenwalk @CPJMENA @KurdistanRegion WONDERFUL NEWS: Our dear friend, the photographer Murat Yazar, has been found! He was released after 9 days of incarceration in Iraqi Kurdistan. We don’t have all the details, but Murat is safely back in Turkey.

His legions of friends are grateful to all who helped free him.

[Evan Osnos @eosnos]

In a life of nearly unimaginable turns, Joe Biden made yet one more. (by me) https://t.co/gNOiCEnY22

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

@PaulSalopek @outofedenwalk @CPJMENA @KurdistanRegion Great news about Murat Yazar. Thanks to all who helped. @pulitzercenter @URJOURNALISM @SenateForeign @timkaine

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

To see more of Murat Yazar’s transporting work, visit his web site: https://t.co/V9oDw0HgBn.

The many admirers of Murat’s powerful vision are hopeful that authorities in the #Kurdish Region of Iraq & the government of #Turkey will assist us in locating our missing friend. 3/

[Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter]

Since the start of the war in Gaza over 100 journalists have been killed, while those still there continue to suffer from bombardment & restrictions, making information from inside harder to obtain.

We urge Israel to open access to all media.@pressfreedom https://t.co/ZEn1ijcBlK

[Marina Walker @MarinaWalkerG]

Renowned Turkish photographer and @pulitzercenter grantee Murat Yazar is missing in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Please help us amplify the news of his disappearance so Murat can return home safely. @CPJMENA @RSF_inter @PressClubDC

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

Missing photographer Murat Yazar works with US-based non-profits @outofedenwalk @pulitzercenter and @NatGeo. He just vanished along the #Tigris in northern #Iraq. Please help if you can, @SenateForeign @SFRCdems @SenJohnWarner @timkaine

[Paul Salopek @PaulSalopek]

One of the best documentary photographers I know, my friend Murat Yazar, has gone missing in the #Kurdish region of #Iraq.

Murat is an empath with a camera—an artist with a deep love for the people of #Turkey & #Iraq. I appeal to officials in both nations to help find him. 1/

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

@PaulSalopek @CPJMENA @pulitzercenter @RSF_inter @MFATurkiye @IraqMFA Spread the word, #slowjournalism community: One of @PaulSalopek’s walking partners, photographer Murat Yazar, has gone missing along the Tigris in #Kurdish northern #Iraq, near #Turkey. Those govts, through local officials, can help find him. @pulitzercenter @URJOURNALISM

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

Journey with @PaulSalopek through the alleyways of Beijing and find stories around every corner. Latest in a series of #edenwalk city maps from @HarvardCGA

[Out of Eden Walk @outofedenwalk]

In our new dispatch by @PaulSalopek, you’ll find a link to our latest Out of Eden Walk city map: the alleyways of #Beijing. The Walk’s Chief Cartographer Jeff Blossom, of Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis, created the interactive walking tour map: https://t.co/4xBasq2OM0

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

@JimmyJames143 @URCollegian @spj_tweets Fine work, @JimmyJames143. Congratulations | @URCollegian @URColl_Sports @URJOURNALISM

[Don Belt @dbelt50]

@AnanyaBChetia @urichmond Congrats, @AnanyaBChetia We're proud of you.