2026 SDN Visual Storytelling Festival Speaker Series

Life Under Siege
Gaza and Ukraine 

Wednesday, April 29, 1:30 pm ET via Zoom
 

A panel discussion with:
Saher Alghorra, Gaza
Vlada Liberova, Ukraine

Moderated by
Lauren Walsh, Professor, NYU
 

No cost for program but registration is required.

Ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Palestinians to inspect their destroyed homes in Gaza City and the north. @saher_alghorra for @nytimes

This panel brings together two eminent photographers—one who has documented the genocide in Gaza and another who has covered Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—moderated by an expert in conflict photography. The discussion centers on the visual documentation of civilian impact: displacement, destruction of homes and infrastructure, mass casualties, and the long-term effects on families and communities. Our speakers examine the risks journalists face in the field, including threats to their safety, restrictions on access, and various forms of information control; they also discuss the ethics of photographing the dead and injured, verification amid disinformation, and the responsibilities that come with producing images that can serve as evidence. By comparing field practices and editorial contexts, this panel explores how photographs of civilian harm are made, circulated, and contested—and how they contribute to the historical record.

Saher Alghorra

Saher Alghorra (b 1997 in Gaza City, Palestine) attended the University of Palestine, graduating with a degree in public relations, media, and photography. He began work as a freelance photojournalist in 2021 with many international agencies, and has worked with international outlets such as The Guardian, Time, The Telegraph, and the New York Times. He has been awarded numerous awards, including the ICRC Humanitarian Visa d’or Award, and, just recently, first place in National/International News Picture Story with POYi.
 

Vlada Liberova

Vlada Liberova is a Ukrainian photographer and co-founder of the LIBKOS duo, documenting the war in Ukraine through a deeply human lens. Before 2022, she was a photography theorist – studying visual culture, curating, and writing about the power of the image. But everything she knew changed when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the spring of 2022, Liberova made a personal decision: to put theory into practice. She picked up the camera, stepped into the field, and began documenting the war alongside her husband and creative partner, Kostiantyn Liberov. Since then, they have traveled together to the most dangerous and defining frontlines of this war. Their work has been recognized internationally.

Lauren Walsh, Moderator

Dr. Lauren Walsh is a Professor at New York University and the Founding Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive. She is also the Managing Director of Journalist Safety Initiatives with the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, where she is heading a new online resource that addresses current and emerging threats confronting US-based journalists. Walsh is the author of Conversations on Conflict Photography (2019) and Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter (2022), among other titles; and is a leading expert on the visual coverage of conflict and crisis, as well as peace journalism. Walsh is a Fulbright Specialist, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency Fellow. She leads workshops and lectures globally, with an emphasis on ethics and photography, as well as safety and mental health concerns for journalists.  In Ukraine, she conducted nationwide surveys and workshops around mental health and media workers, and she is currently co-leading the first multi-national mental health initiative for Arab World photojournalists.

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