For about a year, I followed reporter Rukmini Callimachi around as we both tried to better understand the Islamic State. Together we interviewed current and former members of al Qaeda and ISIS, traveled to the Islamic State, spoke (and wept) with Yazidi women and girls just as they were freed from years of bondage, and many other things that I never thought I’d do.
I’m quite proud of it and our small team of Larissa Anderson, Wendy Dorr & Asthaa Chaturvedi that worked so hard to put it together.
Three years after publication, one of the main characters in our series was charged with the crime of perpetrating a terrorist hoax. We explored our doubts about his story in Episode Four of the series and felt we had the sourcing to confirm enough of his story to include it in the series, with clearly stated skepticism about his claims. Since his arrests, more information has come out that furthers that skepticism.