ISSUE

Fall 2010

Reporting From Faraway Places: Who Does It and How?

Foreign bureaus staffed by correspondents from a newspaper or broadcast network are now largely relics of a bygone era. As this 20th century model of reporting fades, fresh approaches to international reporting are evolving. Nonprofits and freelancers fill much of the void left by news organizations, as do locally based correspondents, an array of partnerships, and digital experimentation. Writing out of their experiences with these new approaches, reporters and editors portray a time of dizzying change, economic challenges, and abundant storytelling possibilities.

Articles

Brutal Censorship: Targeting Russian Journalists

Russian human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva visits the grave of her slain Chechen colleague Natalia Estemirova in August 2009. Photo by Musa Sadulayev/The Associated Press.AUTHOR’S NOTEThis story was done in…

The Attention Deficit: Plenty of Content, Yet an Absence of Interest

RELATED ARTICLES“Going Online With Watchdog Journalism”– Paul E. SteigerEditor in chief, ProPublica(From Spring 2008)“Defining an Online Mission: Local Investigative Reporting”– Andrew Donohue, editor– Scott Lewis, CEOVoice of…

An American Observes a Vietnamese Approach to Newsgathering

Editor’s Note:We have made the decision to remove from our online publication “An American Observes a Vietnamese Approach to Newsgathering” based on a number of concerns raised both within VietNamNet…

Tanzanian Travels: Why Flexibility Matters

‘When heading off to Africa in these cash-strapped times, the expectation is that you will return with more than just a few stories. A daily radio show is a hungry…
An Odd Couple: Journalists and Academics

An Odd Couple: Journalists and Academics

Partnering with Harvard’s Carr Center gave a freelance journalist the chance to continue her reporting about drug wars in Juárez, Mexico.

Fall 2010: Class Notes

Niemans Entering and Leaving Office in Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, NF ’88, was elected president of Colombia in June, and he was sworn into office in August. Santos, who received…

A Journalist’s Near-Death Experience in Chechnya

‘... I said to myself, “This is the place where I’m going to die. This is the last thing I’m going to see in my life.” ’

Nieman Foundation and Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Join Forces to Strengthen Global Health Reporting

A new collaboration between the Nieman Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will support international reporting initiatives with a special focus on global health coverage.The partnership also will…

Bonds of Friendship on an Emotional Journey

RELATED ARTICLE“Noticing Quiet Amid the Battles of War”– Chris Vognar When journalists go into war zones, some of them are there to report the news of battles fought, of ground…

Noticing Quiet Amid the Battles of War

RELATED ARTICLE“Bonds of Friendship on an Emotional Journey“– Joseph Kearns Goodwin When journalists go into war zones, some of them are there to report the news of battles fought, of…

Fall 2010: Introduction

Foreign bureaus staffed by correspondents from a newspaper or broadcast network are now largely relics of a bygone era. As this 20th century model of reporting fades, fresh approaches to…

Journalists Who Dared to Report—Before They Fled or Were Murdered

Fatima Tlisova is an independent journalist living in exile after enduring years of intimidation and threats, harassment and arrest by government officials in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Earlier…

This Is How I Go

‘Every time I leave for war, there are rituals and routines—and one unyielding truth.’

Teaching the Science of Journalism in China

‘... I was constantly aware that the journalism they could practice was antithetical to the principles I was teaching, or so I believed, until I learned to trust the scientific…

A Correspondent for The New York Times Ends Her Reporting in Gaza — For a While

‘... I always say that I am not the story. I am out of it. I observe the place, and I describe it as it is. If I talk to…
Piecing Together a Mosaic of America

Piecing Together a Mosaic of America

‘As a foreign correspondent, my challenge was to tell stories about America in ways that would connect with my Finnish audience—both in print and through my multimedia presentations …’

Turkey and the Armenian Diaspora: When ‘We’ Don’t Want to Know About ‘Them’

A lot happened after a Turkish journalist set out to tell people in her country about those who belong to the Armenian diaspora.

Foreign Reporting: It’s Not Like It Used to Be

Just a dozen years ago, the International Reporting Project’s approach was very different. Then, it trained staff reporters hoping to head to foreign bureaus; now it supports story ideas, many…
A Foreign Correspondent From India as Suspect in Pakistan

A Foreign Correspondent From India as Suspect in Pakistan

It is one of the most coveted assignments in Indian journalism, and I had dreamed about it for many years. Yet as I flew to Islamabad from New Delhi in…

When Journalists Depart, Who Tells the Story?

Press releases and broadcast-ready video substitute for European Union coverage, as news organizations cut back on staff reporters in Brussels.

From War Zones to Life at Home: Serendipity and Partners Matter

‘This Pulitzer Center partnership turned out to be the start of a productive ad hoc partnership that kick-started my career as an independent journalist.”

Similar Paths, Different Missions: International Journalists and Human Rights Observers

As some journalists migrate to Human Rights Watch, one reason might be that they are ‘tired of treating all stories with the same pretense of aloofness—especially the ones who have…

A Former BBC Producer Takes a Fresh Look at Foreign News: ‘It’s the Audience, Stupid!’

Using a new approach to storytelling ‘we managed to broaden our audience, expand our coverage and—this is critical—not “dumb down” in the process.’

Correspondents: They Come in Different Shapes and Sizes

A BBC correspondent describes the benefits of three approaches to foreign news coverage—with caveats accompanying each one.

The Sometimes Bumpy Nonprofit Ride Into Digital Foreign Correspondence

‘We began with the naïve assumption that if we covered the costs of getting journalists to the field they would be able to earn a decent income through placement of…
Into Africa—With a Newspaper in Iowa

Into Africa—With a Newspaper in Iowa

With International Reporting Project support, ‘my story reminded Iowans that it’s not just the large coastal papers that bring them news from abroad.’
Chasing Haiti

Chasing Haiti

‘Spending enough time in a tormented country for the reality to truly sink in is a painful experience.’

Bearing Witness: The Poet as Journalist

‘I stand as a witness to the silences—to what goes unspoken and ignored—to the things that float away as if insubstantial but that are filled with the simple breaths of…

Should Local Voices Bring Us Foreign News?

‘Depending on who is making the argument, the idea of not having foreign correspondents is either something to fear or look forward to.’

Global Investigative Reporting Effort Exposes Asbestos Trade

Exposing the booming asbestos trade in the developing world became the most recent of many projects undertaken by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
A Texas Border Community Grapples With Illegal Immigration

A Texas Border Community Grapples With Illegal Immigration

The Victoria Advocate’s multimedia reporting about a tragedy involving human trafficking elicits vociferous criticism and civil conversation in community events.
The Uninvited: Snapshots From Hyena Square

The Uninvited: Snapshots From Hyena Square

I’m standing at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with my close friend and colleague Kevin Sites. At this celebratory moment, watching the sunrise from the “rooftop of Africa,” I have…

In South Africa, Connecting With a Wealth of Nieman Fellows and Finding Signs of Hope

A first trip to the former land of apartheid is a time to renew friendships and ponder the nation’s future.

Investigative Journalism in the Arab World

‘Why not create a ProPublica-like news organization here to give the public more watchdog journalism?’

Foreign Policy: Morphing Into an Online Daily

 ‘At the start of our Web relaunch, here’s what we had: essentially no money, no reporters, a creaky and often barely functioning custom-made Web platform, a wonderfully talented young staff…

Trust and Perception: Powerful Factors in Assessing News About War

How the public responded to news reporting about the surge in Iraq was more about what the audience brought with them than what they took away.

Overcoming the U.S. Visa Denial of a Colombian Nieman Fellow

A collaborative effort reverses a ‘permanent’ decision by the State Department and enables investigative reporter Hollman Morris to join his classmates at Harvard.

Taking Those First Small Steps

‘“You mean it’s OK in your country to tell a leader what to do?” a few of them asked.’

Living Manhattan, Feeling Zamboanga

After returning to the United States following a long stint overseas, a reporter is reminded that it is still all about adapting to circumstances.

Connecting Correspondents With Broadcasters

Global Radio News, an online agency for reporters, insists on fair treatment and insurance to protect those whose work takes them into harm’s way.

Africa—Revealed on GlobalPost Through People-Oriented Stories

‘We work hard to make our stories break out of the “should read” category and into the “want to know” one.’

Adding ‘Far-Flungs’ to a New Kind of Reporting Partnership

An investigative story tests a new model of foreign news reporting—and leaves a lot of valuable lessons in its wake.

Even in Digital Age, ‘Being There’ Still Matters In Foreign Reporting

‘The textile workers’ strike was into its 19th day, and it appeared that we were the first journalists to arrive.’

Creating a Go-To Digital Destination for Foreign Affairs Reporting and Commentary

 ‘At the start of our Web relaunch, here’s what we had: essentially no money, no reporters, a creaky and often barely functioning custom-made Web platform, a wonderfully talented young staff…