1) I Was Married to The DC Sniper: [5] This story, from Mildred Muhammad, the wife of the notorious DC Sniper John Muhammad, is exactly what I was hoping for when we launched this site: a powerful, meaningful, authentic account of what it's like to live the events that the rest of us only watch on TV. This story completely validates the idea of citizen news.
For Mildred Muhammad, the threat posed by John Muhammad was anything but random or anonymous. When he took her aside and told her, “You have become my enemy, and as my enemy I will kill you”, it chilled my blood. It took real courage to protect herself and her children in the face of this threat, especially when no one would believe the unthinkable - that John Muhammad was as mad and dangerous as a man could be. If you read one story on this site...read this one!
2) Michelle Manhart: Kicked Out of the Air Force for Posing Nude in Playboy: [6] This story was a blip on the mainstream news radar for a while, as it boasted a few tasty elements that fire up the tabloid temperament...a beautiful nude woman, the US military and Playboy. Bingo! But it is also a story of injustice and courage - courage that is different than Mildred Muhammad's. Michelle Manhart is a soldier who can fight in my army any time: feisty, strong, brave, and not afraid to take on anyone in her own personal war.
It's hard to believe, but after giving 13 years of 18-hour days to the Air Force, after spending six months on the cover of the force's web site (presumably because of the same attributes that got her in trouble when she posed for Playboy), they made her turn in her hat after the Playboy photo spread was published. This even though she had been modeling throughout her career and the Air Force never told her she was out of line. The truth? They can't handle the truth!
3) Dog the Bounty Hunter: Struggle in Paradise [7]: Anyone can tell their story on Orato, and anyone includes the irrepressible Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter. As you might imagine, at Orato we're big fans of reality TV, and Dog's show on A&E was reality TV at its best...at least it was before A&E yanked it for Dog's racial transgressions. What better place for Dog to apologize than on Orato? And so he did. Struggle In Paradise was posted before his fall from grace, and it gives you a vivid sense of the man's mission. If you want to revisit his apology, then click here [8].
4) Hard Road and Healing [9]: If the Mildred Muhammad story is the finest example of the power of citizen news, then Hard Road and Healing is Orato at its most pro-active. A long time ago (now it seems) we asked two former sex trade workers, Trisha Baptie and Pauline VanKoll, to cover the trial of a serial killer who murdered women with whom they had shared the streets and bars of Vancouver's Downtown East Side. Both Trisha and Pauline managed to escape the street and Robert “Willie” Pickton's murderous intent, but their experiences made it possible for them to provide unique and exceptional coverage of Pickton's trial.
While the rest of the media covered the gory details with cold enthusiasm, Trisha and Pauline communicated the true horror of the event - how this one man could have killed and dismembered so many of their friends and colleagues before he was caught. They made sure that the rest of the world saw their murdered friends not as hookers or corpses but as real women with hopes, dreams and families. In this piece Trisha tells her amazing story...how she's surprised she managed to make it to 33 and how's she determined to help change the way society sees and treats sex trade workers.
5) Used to Live and Lived to Use [10]: If Trisha's tale of working six years in the sex trade while trying to raise a family is remarkable, what do we say about Pauline VanKoll, who somehow survived more than two decades in the sex trade? Here is her story. Somehow, she survived when some of the women walking next to her did not. We're glad, because Pauline's perspective has really given our coverage a deep and powerful perspective, especially because she has a truly unique background—an Aboriginal girl who was adopted into a white family, her stories have included her searing, honest efforts to come to terms with her background and seek the healing power of her aboriginal spirituality.
The media rolled their collective eyes at what they saw as a stunt back in January, but your editors, once they met Trisha and Pauline, knew that something exceptional would come from their efforts - and once you read them yourselves, we're sure you'll agree. And we hope that if you feel you lack a voice and a place to tell your story, you'll follow their example.
6) I Won A Million Dollars on Survivor China [11]: Pardon us if we're just a little bit cocky about this one...I'll bet you last year's Survivor winner wouldn't bother to post a piece on Orato, but this year's winner, the tough and scheming Todd Herzog, gets the power of citizen news. And obviously, the word has spread. This is a critical base to touch on the citizen news front. When a guy like Todd shares his experiences on Orato, we must be doing something right. Anyway, enough about us. This is the inside story, that is - inside Todd's head - about how he won the toughest and best Survivor yet.
7) The Prince of Pot Prepares for Battle [12]: As you must have guessed by now, at Orato, we love the Underdog, not to mention the Dog. And Marc Emery, perhaps thanks to his doing, is the world's Number One Underdog. It's Marc vs. the Entire Weight and Authority of the US Government, and if you think that's not scary, just ask Saddam Hussein...oh...too late. Anyway, Marc Emery decided to sell marijuana seeds on his web site, and now the US Department of Justice wants the Canadian government to extradite him so they can prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.
In this piece, Marc extols the virtues of marijuana in a vivid and graphic testimonial, while also fearlessly facing what he thinks is the inevitable: extradition and incarceration. He's worried he'll be locked away for so many years, that: “If I come back as a frog, I'll still have to spend my frog years in U.S. prison.” Orato is exactly for people such as brave, foolhardy Marc Emery and Michelle Manhart. As we've often mention, it means I Speak in Latin, and as long as we're around, we hope people like Marc and Michelle will do exactly that.
8) Iraq War: A Soldier's Side [13]: The major networks can take you to the front in the Iraq war—they can show you the pictures, and they are indeed a powerful statement about war in our time. But they can't take you to the inside front, inside the heads and hearts of the soldiers serving in the military action, which is still day-to-day hell. Orato can. This account and others, such as My Year In Combat Zone [14] make the experience real, almost too real to imagine. The scope of human experience is staggering and difficult to comprehend. But it is real. What makes Iraq War: A Soldier's Side special is that it is told by a soldier and a patriot who is in Iraq. Like Michelle Manhart, he is prepared to lay his life on the line for his country and his military, but he argues against the heavy hand of censorship. We realize military discipline is necessary, but we also think if anyone has earned our trust, it's these people.
9) Wreck Beach Nudists: An Endangered Species [15]: And speaking of the scope of human experience, here's one story that combines the passions of Michelle Manhart and Marc Emery. Like Michelle and Marc, Watermelon is getting a taste of how "They" deal with harmless hedonists in the 21st century. Turns out "They" don't have much of a sense of humor. Fortunately Watermelon herself, while rivaling Michelle Manhart as Orato's sexiest correspondent, is also endowed with a great sense of humor. Even though she's been harassed and arrested for selling more than watermelon on Wreck Beach, Vancouver's nudist refuge, she's still cracking jokes. Jokes that are still funny even when you're not high.
10) Virginia Tech: Back To School [16]: It was America's most notorious slaughter, eclipsing Columbine by the body count alone, never mind the fact that the killer was on the loose for two hours after his first murders. Once again, Orato and citizen correspondents bring this incomprehensible tragedy down to human proportions. This report, from a writer at the Virginia Tech student newspaper, is a heartfelt declaration of healing...how, long after the network cameras have moved to the next disaster, real people are finding ways to gather up themselves as a community and get on with their lives.
Here's the complete list of Orato's Top 50 stories for the year 2007. We hope you enjoy this list and that it will inspire you to submit your own text, video, audio and images. Together we can give 2008 a human face and a human voice. By the way things are going, we're really gonna need it...
May your holiday season be full of peace and happiness and may the new year bring you new hope for the days to come - whoever, wherever, you are, Paul Sullivan
The Rest Of The Best Of Orato: 2007
1) I Was Married To The DC Sniper [17]
2) Michelle Manhart: I Was Kicked Out Of The Air Force For Posing Nude In Playboy [18]
3) Dog The Bounty Hunter: Struggle In Paradise [19]
4) Hard Road And Healing [20]
5) Used To Live And Lived To Use [21]
6) I Won A Million Dollars On Survivor China [22]
7) The Prince Of Pot Prepares For Battle [23]
8) Iraq War: A Soldier's Side [24]
9) Wreck Beach Nudist: An Endangered Species [25]
10) Back To School At Virginia Tech [26]
11) Little People, Big World: Exclusive with Matt Roloff [27]
12) Eight Hours And Closer To Death [28]
13) My Year In Combat Zone [29]
14) The Bridge: Looking Into The Abyss [30]
15) Chasing Miss Landmine [31]
16) The Truth About Sharks [32]
17) Bonnie Stern: My Brother Loved Anna Nicole Smith [33]
18) Real Life Little Miss Sunshine [34]
19) Splitting Hairs At The World Beard And Mustache Championships [35]
20) The Grave Endangerment Of Western Gorillas [36]
21) LA Ink's Pixie: Lighthearted Color For All Ages [37]
22) Scandalous Photos Of Maple Leafs Rock NHL [38]
23) I Am The Happy Mother Of An Autistic Child [39]
24) Corey Haim: Lost Boy Found [40]
25) The Secrets Behind PostSecret [41]
