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Iraqi blogger revealed

Slate journalist Peter Maass has revealed that he worked alongside mystery Iraqi blogger Salam Pax without being aware of his true identity.

While Mr Maass was reporting from Baghdad during the US-led invasion, Mr Pax - now a columnist for The Guardian - worked as his interpreter.

"Two friends emailed to suggest I track him down. I had no idea what they were talking about. I could have handed the job over to my interpreter - he was a clever and funny Iraqi who never failed to provide me with what I needed."

Mr Maass tells how he visited the weblog on his return to New York, and read a series of stories about people they had met in Baghdad.

"His latest post mentioned an afternoon spent at the Hamra Hotel pool, reading a borrowed copy of the New Yorker. I laughed out loud. He then mentioned an escapade in which he helped deliver 24 pizzas to American soldiers. I howled. The paper he had been reading was mine. The pizzas were taken to a unit I was writing about.

"My inner journalist tells me to draw back and write about the larger significance of my encounter with Salam Pax. My inner blogger, however, tells me to skip the 'What This Means' stuff and write about life with Mr Pax."

Sources:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2083847/
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/

Tags (click tag to find related articles; click icon for feed):
new york | the guardian | person travel | baghdad | hamra hotel pool | peter maass | salam pax |

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