Calling All Tchotchkes and New Friends for OPC Party
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, NY • February 2013
Calling All Tchotchkes and New Friends for OPC Party
EVENT PREVIEW: MARCH 8 What will this than half way thru
year’s Tchotchke Par- the billing cycle. So a
by Aimee Vitrak ty feature? It’s up to New Young Member
Dust off your Qadaffi carpets, Al- enough raucous cor- will pay $70 for a year
banian belt buckles, Barbie burkas respondents to RSVP and a half member-
and any other “liberated” items from
and bring a potential ship.
overseas postings for the OPC’s
OPC member. OPC The event will be
second Tchotchke Party on Friday,
member Yvonne Dun- hosted again by OPC
March 8. The evening will have Col. el-Qadaffi carpet
cocktails, dim sum and a Foreign leavy and husband Board member Minky
Correspondent story night. Joost Schiereck have Worden and Gordon Crovitz at their
This event is also a membership generously agreed to donate $30 home located at 55 Liberty Street,
recruitment effort. Next year, the toward the $100 memberships for penthouse 30, on March 8 at 7 p.m.
OPC celebrates its 75th anniversary; Young members (under 35 years of RSVP is essential. Call the OPC at
every member of the international age). New members will also have 212-626-9220 or e-mail boots@op-
reporting community should be en- an extended time since we are more cofamerica.org
couraged to join an organization that
supports press freedom, and journal-
ists, around the world. Panel on the Shia and Sunni Divide
The first Tchotchke Party, held in nott, Executive Editor of Global-
March 2011, went over so big that it EVENT PREVIEW: MARCH 13
Post, which is launching a multi-
was featured as a “Talk of the Town” News events roiling in the Mid- part series on the issue.
piece in The New Yorker. Ben Mc- dle East right now from the civil The divide dates back to the death
Grath wrote that the party was “an war in Syria to the episodic upris- of the Prophet Muhammad and the
élite form of war-zone show-and- ings in Bahrain to a recent spate of division in ideology, religion and
tell, which prompted questions from bombings in post-war Iraq all have politics. Muslims were torn between
participants like ‘At what point is it a historical theme and an ancient electing a head-of-state or having a
looting?’ and ‘Who else has stolen enmity running through them: the family member of Muhammad’s be
the ashtray from the Rex Hotel?’ (in Sunni-Shia divide. the successor. A friend of the Islam-
Saigon).” To help frame these news stories
ic prophet Muhammad was elected
and to mark the 10th anniversary of
and this caused a split that contin-
the war in Iraq, the OPC will hold
ues; Sunnis agreed with the deci-
a panel discussion that will explore
sion to elect a leader, while Shias
Inside. . . the history and the modern politics
recognized Ali ibn Abi Talib, as the
of the Sunni and Shia divide in the
Scholars Luncheon Recap...........3-7 Muslim world. family member of Muhammad’s to
“It’s a critical time to deepen be their leader, or as the Shia see it,
Reporting Fellowship Launch..........7 Islam’s first Imam and the rightful
our understanding of the Sunni and
Shia divide and to analyze how con- successor to Muhammad.
People........................................8-12
temporary politics so often fans the Today, 85 percent of Muslims
People Remembered....................12 flames of this division. It’s been a are Sunnis who recognize the deci-
truism throughout many centuries, sion to elect a successor. The larg-
Hackers Impact Press Freedom....13 but recently there seems to be a dis- est population of the minority Shia
Raymer Book Night Recap........14-15 tinct uptick in the tensions in Syria, Muslims resides in Iran and Iraq
in Bahrain, in Iraq, in Pakistan and while large minority communities
New Books....................................16 elsewhere,” said Charles M. Sen- (Continued on Page 2)OPC Panel Discussion on the Shia and Sunni Divide
(Continued From Page 1) militant Islam, regional politics, the dent digital media project exploring
of Shia also live in Yemen, Bah- war on terror and is currently writ- a new model of storytelling around
rain, Syria and Lebanon. While the ing a book about the struggle be- a global crisis. She is a Huffington
two streams of Islam share many of tween Saudi Arabia and Iran, titled Post correspondent and previously
the same philosophies, rituals and The Quiet War. covered the Middle East from Dubai
beliefs, the fundamental point of an for ABC News, Bloomberg Televi-
n Charles M. Sennott is the
elected or bequeathed leadership re- sion and the International Herald
executive editor and co-founder
mains, and at times further erodes, Tribune.
of GlobalPost, the web-based site
the division in religion and politics.
for international
The OPC has assembled a panel n Calvin Sims, Program Offi-
news. Before
to help navigate how the history of cer, Freedom of Expression Unit of
this new venture,
the Sunni-Shia divide informs the Sennott was a the Ford Founda-
present-day politics and geography long time foreign tion, will mod-
in the Middle East: correspondent erate the panel.
for The Boston Prior to joining
n Mohamad Bazzi is an assis- Globe serving as the Ford Foun-
tant professor of journalism at New Middle East bu- dation in 2007,
York University where he teaches reau chief based Sennott
Calvin spent two
international reporting. At the in Jerusalem decades at The
Council on Foreign Relations he is from 1997 to 2001. Sennott is a fre- New York Times
an adjunct senior fellow for Middle quent analyst of the Middle East for Sims
East studies and was their 2008 as a foreign cor-
the BBC, CNN, PBS NewsHour and
Edward R. Mur- respondent in Buenos Aires, Tokyo
NPR.
row Press Fel- and Jakarta.
low. Bazzi was n Lara Setra-
The event takes place on Wednes-
the Middle East kian is a foreign day, March 13. Reception begins at
bureau chief at correspondent, 6 p.m. at Club Quarters, 40 West 45
Newsday from co-founder and Street, and the panel discussion will
2003 to 2007. He managing editor begin at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP, call
has written ex- of SyriaDeeply. the OPC at 212-626-9220 or e-mail
tensively about Bazzi org, an indepen- Setrakian sonya@opcofamerica.org.
OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA • BOARD OF GOVERNORS
PRESIDENT SECRETARY Deidre Depke Santiago Lyon ASSOCIATE BOARD PAST PRESIDENTS
Michael Serrill Jonathan Dahl Executive Editor VP and Director of MEMBERS EX-OFFICIO
Assistant Managing Former Editor-in-Chief The Daily Beast Photography Brian Byrd David A. Andelman
Editor Smart Money Associated Press Program Officer John Corporon
Bloomberg Markets Adam B. Ellick NYS Health Allan Dodds Frank
ACTIVE BOARD *Video and Print Marcus Mabry Foundation Alexis Gelber
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Jacqueline Albert- Journalist Editor at Large William J. Holstein
Tim Ferguson Simon The New York Times International Herald Emma Daly Marshall Loeb
Editor U.S. Bureau Chief * on leave attending Tribune Communications Larry Martz
Forbes Asia Politique Internationale Harvard Kennedy School Director Roy Rowan
John Martin Human Rights Watch Leonard Saffir
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Amar C. Bakshi Arlene Getz Writer/Editor Larry Smith
Abigail Pesta JD/MBA student Editor-in-Charge, Media Sarah Lubman Richard B. Stolley
Freelance Journalist Yale University Thomson Reuters Romesh Ratnesar Partner
Deputy Editor Brunswick Group EXECUTIVE
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT Rebecca Azmat Khan Bloomberg DIRECTOR
Toni Reinhold Blumenstein Digital Producer Businessweek Minky Worden Sonya K. Fry
Editor in Charge, Page One Editor PBS - Frontline Director of Global
New York Desk The Wall Street Journal Tom Squitieri Initiatives EDITOR
Reuters Evelyn Leopold Freelance Journalist Human Rights Watch Aimee Vitrak
Paul Brandus Independent Journalist
TREASURER West Wing Report United Nations Seymour Topping Abi Wright OPC
Dorinda Elliott Emeritus Director ISSN-0738-7202
Global Affairs Editor Howard Chua-Eoan Daphna Linzer Professor of Alfred I. duPont – Copyright © 2002
Conde Nast Traveler News Director Senior Reporter International Columbia University Overseas Press Club of
Time Pro Publica Journalism Awards America
Columbia University
40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 USA • Phone: (212) 626-9220 • Fax: (212) 626-9210 • Website: opcofamerica.org
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 2Eager for a Chance, Scholars Seize Spotlight at Luncheon
EVENT RECAP: FEBRUARY 22
by Aimee Vitrak
The Yale Club Ballroom was filled to capacity for
the OPC Foundation Scholarship Luncheon on February
22. This year’s event launched the Nathan S. Bienstock
Memorial Scholarship and the GroundTruth Fellow-
Michael Dames
ship. OPC Foundation board member and Global Post
co-founder Charles M. Sennott introduced the $10,000
GroundTruth Fellowship for freelance correspondents
who have more than three years of experience and pro-
pose a reporting project in the Middle East (see page 7). David Rohde gave the keynote address.
The Foundation awarded a combination of scholar- “ground truth,” hitting the same theme as the luncheon’s
ships and funded internships to 14 graduate and under- beginning announcement of the GroundTruth Fellow-
graduate students from a wide range of academic insti- ship.
tutions and from every region of the country. “You will have a front row seat to history,” Rohde
The David R. Schweisberg Memorial Scholarship said. “There will be moments of despair and setbacks
winner Jad Sleiman began his reporting career as a com- but don’t give up.”
bat correspondent for the U.S. Marine Corps. He said One might assume that this well-decorated journalist
that the call to be a journalist is “a mandate to humanize who has been held captive twice has lived a charmed
people oceans away.” OPC Foundation President Wil- existence, but Rohde’s fight to become a journalist was
liam J. Holstein quipped that Sleiman hadn’t had a hair- self-directed and began with several desk jobs at the
cut since leaving the marines. Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC News and The Christian
OPC Foundation board member Roy Rowan men- Science Monitor. It was at ABC News where he decided
tioned that at 93 he was proud to have made it to the to quit and go to Lithuania to pursue his passion of be-
podium to introduce Stephen Kalin, who received this ing a field reporter. That experience first sent him to a
year’s scholarship in Rowan’s name. Kalin said he copy editing slot at The Christian Science Monitor and
has a passion for journalism and the Middle East. His then as an Eastern European correspondent to cover the
grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1920 and
war in Bosnia.
no one in his family had returned to the Middle East.
Rohde urged the scholars to ask questions and re-
September 11 motivated Kalin to seek out his roots and
member that every story was founded by a team effort.
identity in the Middle East. “I’m inspired by correspon-
“In Afghanistan and Pakistan, our strongest team mem-
dents who learn the language and the region,” he said.
bers were the Afghan and Pakistani local journalists,”
Kalin and Mateo Hoke took the opportunity at the
podium to ask for work and networking opportunities he said.
in a room full of prominent media brokers like CBS He stressed that journalism has changed since he be-
News Chairman Jeff Fager who was last year’s keynote gan in the 1990s. “In Bosnia then, all sides saw us as
speaker. journalists. In Afghanistan, I was seen as part of the U.S.
H.L. Stevenson Internship recipient Tom Finn re- war machine and therefore useful.” Rohde said. “It’s not
layed his introduction to journalism when he received fair, but you’re a target.”
an offer from the Yemen Times about a copy editor posi- He advised that it’s critical to weigh the risks of in-
tion: “Our copy editor has a problem with her bowels, terviews and stories. “Ask yourself, will the story be
can you be here in three weeks?” Once the audience there tomorrow?” He said he stood by his decision in
laughter settled down, he explained that the job gave Bosnia to follow the story about the mass graves; he
him the opportunity to wear many hats in the newsroom was held captive for 10 days. In Afghanistan, however,
and that after his OPC Foundation internship with the where he was kidnapped and held for seven months and
Reuters bureau in Cairo this summer, he’s headed back 10 days, just two months after getting married, he con-
to Yemen. fessed that he let competition get the best of him. “If you
Lunch and speeches ran a little late, but those who take a risk,” he said, “it will be your family and editors
stayed — and that included most people — heard David who will suffer.” His voice became choked with emo-
Rohde deliver a heart-felt keynote address. He began by tion when he mentioned his wife and their two-year-old
saying to the scholarship winners, “I don’t know you, daughter. “We’re paid to explore and learn. I urge you to
but I love you.” He urged patience and persistence and pursue the ground truth. That is an honor.”
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 3The 2013 OPC Foundation Scholarship Winners
Foundation. Presented
by Jack Howard-Potter.
Marina’s winning essay was
about the disproportionate impact
of climate change on the vulnerable,
indigenous populations of Mexico
which is in the throes of its worst
drought in 70 years. Her focus was
the small village of Xaltipan and
the consequences when the nearest
Michael Dames
river gradually dries up. Conversant
in Spanish, Marina intends to return
to Columbia, her homeland, for six
months after college as a news assis-
From left: Mateo Hoke, Jacob Kushner, Jad Sleiman, Stephen Kalin,
tant and researcher for NPR.
Valerie Hopkins, Christopher Harress, Patricia Rey Mallén,
Frederick Bernas, Marina Villeneuve, Tom Finn, Justine Drennan, Tom Finn
Anders Melin, Xiaoqing Pi, and Adriane Quinlan New York University
Jad Sleiman 90 percent of the recipients are un- H.L. STEVENSON INTERNSHIP
Temple University known. A graduate of the University Funded by the Gamsin family and
DAVID R. SCHWEISBERG of Missouri, Anders will spend his sponsored by family and friends.
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP OPC Foundation internship in the Presented by Sharon Gamsin.
Sponsored by the Schweisberg Reuters bureau in Brussels. As a British Fulbright scholar,
Family. Presented by Matt and Tom is pursuing a dual master’s de-
Miranda Schweisberg. Mateo Hoke gree in journalism and near eastern
Schweisberg joined United Press University of California-Berkeley studies. He began his career with
International in 1980 and worked the Yemen Times and later covered
Graduate School of Journalism
Yemen for a variety of news outlets.
for its bureaus in Detroit, New York, HARPER’S MAGAZINE
In his essay, he described the dan-
Washington, Hong Kong and Tokyo. SCHOLARSHIP in memory of
gerous plight of illegal immigrants
In 1987 he worked in UPI’s bureau I.F.STONE
who are frequent kidnapping targets
in Beijing. During the Tiananmen Endowed by John R. MacArthur
of Yemen’s criminal gangs. A gradu-
Square student uprising in 1989, his and the Pierre F. Simon Charitable
ate of London’s School of Oriental
astute dispatches, delivered under Trust. Presented by Rick and African Studies, he has an OPC
the threat of censor and arrest by MacArthur, publisher of Harper’s. Foundation internship in the Reuters
the Chinese authorities, were read Mateo is currently working on bureau in Cairo.
and heard throughout the world. He two main projects, traditional plant
was one of the last reporters to leave medicines in the Peruvian Amazon Justine Drennan
when the protest was finally crushed and life in the occupied Palestinian Cambridge University
by the Chinese Army. territories, the subject of his win- STAN SWINTON INTERNSHIP
ning essay and the place where he Endowed by the Swinton Family.
Anders Melin has spent most of the last two years Presented by Helen Swinton.
New York University working on a book. A graduate of the As a Princeton-in-Asia fellow at
REUTERS INTERNSHIP University of Colorado-Boulder, the the Phnom Penh Post, Justine cov-
Sponsored by Reuters and funded by multimedia journalist wrote about ered the deportation of a Swedish
The Correspondents Fund. tear gas launchers and victims in the hacker and possible WikiLeaks col-
Presented by Eddie Evans, Reuters. small village of Bil’in. laborator. She wrote how interna-
A native of Sweden, Anders tional aid often plays a role in the
wrote about the little known fact that Marina Villeneuve Cambodian politics of deporting for-
the European Union is the world’s Dartmouth College eign criminals. A graduate of Princ-
largest subsidizer of agricultural ac- IRENE CORBALLY KUHN eton University, Justine has an OPC
tivity, a line item that consumes 40 SCHOLARSHIP Foundation internship in The AP bu-
percent of the EU budget and yet Endowed by the Scripps Howard reau in Bangkok.
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 4Christopher Harress of Syrian refugees in Egypt helping Having grown up in Voice of
Columbia University Graduate their countrymen adjust to the hard- America newsrooms, Valerie always
School of Journalism ships of their temporary home. He is knew her passion was international
EMANUEL R. FREEDMAN the first recipient of an OPC Founda- reporting. Proficient in three Balkan
SCHOLARSHIP tion internship with the GlobalPost. languages, she has spent the last 2.5
Endowed by family. years in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Presented by Alix Freedman. Adriane Quinlan She wrote about countries that con-
Christopher studied journalism at University of Minnesota done tax havens and money launder-
Edinburgh Napier University so he FLORA LEWIS INTERNSHIP ing, including the US. A graduate
could tell the stories he experienced Endowed by the Pierre F. Simon of William & Mary, she has an OPC
as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Charitable Trust. Presented Foundation internship in the Reuters
Navy. Now a committed investiga- by Jackie Albert-Simon. bureau in Belgrade.
tive journalist, he wrote about the Adriane will spend her OPC
unknown world of human trafficking Foundation internship at the AP bu- Frederick Bernas
in soccer players. His essay focused reau in Beijing, the city that con- Columbia University Graduate
on the 1,000 young Africans living in vinced her to become a foreign cor- School of Journalism
poverty in Paris, having been drawn respondent. Having lived there as THE WALTER & BETSY
there by the promises of unscrupu- a freelancer and speed typist in the CRONKITE SCHOLARSHIP
lous fake football agents-a practice lead-up to the 2008 Olympics, the Funded by Daimler and Supported
that will only get worse in the run-up Yale graduate, who is currently pur- by CBS News and friends.
to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. suing an MFA in creative writing, Presented by David Rhodes,
wrote about theme parks in China, president, CBS News.
Patricia Rey Mallén specifically, her own Beijing rite of The unlikely topic of Frederick’s
CUNY Graduate School passage: a trip to World Park. winning essay concerned a hip-hop
of Journalism battle of the bands for musicians
THEO WILSON SCHOLARSHIP Xiaoqing Pi within Mexico City’s prisons and
Sponsored by family and friends. University of California at Berkeley their message of hope and rehabilita-
Presented by Roz Massow. Graduate School of Journalism tion. Fluent in Russian, the former
A native of Spain and a graduate S&P AWARD FOR ECONOMIC Moscow-based broadcast journalist
of the Universidad Complutense de AND BUSINESS REPORTING has sets his sites on Latin America.
Madrid, Patricia wrote about the per- Endowed by Standard & Poor’s. A graduate of the University of Bris-
ils of illegal mining in Peru, a story Presented by Patricia Walsh, S&P. tol in England, he has an OPC Foun-
she covered while there on an intern- A graduate of Fudan University, dation internship in the AP bureau in
ship with LaRepublica. She focused Xiaoqing is fascinated with the Chi- Buenos Aires.
her essay on the impoverished family nese tech industry, especially its larg-
of a college student who perished in est tech companies and the under- Jacob Kushner
a mine collapse, a not uncommon oc- covered stories of their connections Columbia University Graduate
currence in a country where 500,000 to oppressed regimes and reliance School of Journalism
are engaged in the illegal enterprise. on Chinese government support for NATHAN S. BIENSTOCK
She is fluent in English and French success in global markets. Having MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
and proficient in Portuguese. interned already for The New York Endowed by Richard Leibner
Times in Shanghai and the Phnom and Carole Cooper Family Founda-
Stephen Kalin Penh Post, Xiaoqing will continue tion. Presented by Richard Leibner.
American University in Cairo her work with an OPC Foundation Jacob intends to use the investi-
ROY ROWAN SCHOLARSHIP internship in the Reuters bureau in gative skills honed during a two-year
Endowed by family, friends and Beijing. stretch in Haiti to uncover the stories
admirers. Presented by Roy Rowan. and human consequences of China’s
Now living in Cairo on a year- Valerie Hopkins rise in Africa. In his essay, the Uni-
long Arabic language immersion fel- Columbia University Graduate versity of Wisconsin-Madison grad-
lowship program funded by the U.S. School of Journalism uate reported on how the rapidly de-
Department of Education, Stephen JERRY FLINT INTERNSHIP teriorating Sudanese economy may
is the first in his family in a century FOR INTERNATIONAL lead to the ouster of its 23-year Arab
to return to their Middle East roots. BUSINESS REPORTING president. Fluent in Spanish, Jacob
The Davidson College graduate Endowed by family and friends. has an OPC Foundation internship in
wrote about the humanitarian efforts Presented by Kate McLeod. the AP bureau in Nairobi.
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 5OPC Scholarship Luncheon
Photos by Michael Dames
Miranda and Matt Schweisberg talk with the
2013 David Schweisberg winner Jad Sleiman.
MANY THANKS
From left: 2013 scholars Xiaoqing Pi and Patricia Rey
Mallén with OPC Foundation President William J. Holstein. The OPC Foundation is especially grateful
for its Patrons and Friends who supported
the 2013 Scholarship Luncheon. Their con-
tributions ensure the continued success of
our scholarship and internship program.
Patrons
Bloomberg
CBS News
Daimler
Ford Foundation
Reuters
From left: OPC Executive Director Sonya Fry, Standard & Poor’s
keynote speaker David Rohde and OPC Foundation
Executive Director Jane Reilly. Friends
The Associated Press
N.S. Bienstock, Inc.
CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Edelman Public Relations
From left: Jeff Ford Motor Company
Fager CBS News General Motors
Chairman and Knight-Bagehot Fellowship,
Han Tjan of Columbia University
Daimler. Pamela Howard Family Foundation/
Scripps Howard Foundation
William S. Rukeyser
Walek & Associates
Scholarship winner Mateo Hoke accepts
Scholars Jacob Kushner and Anders Melin flank a the Harper’s Magazine Scholarship.
guest before the luncheon began.
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 6Grant Launches to Aid Freelance Correspondents
by Aimee Vitrak ing career in the Middle East for The Associated Press,
OPC Foundation board member and co-founder of The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The New
GlobalPost Charles M. Sennott announced the launch of York Times. OPC member Shadid who won the OPC Hal
a $10,000 GroundTruth Fellowship for a reporting proj- Boyle Award and was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner,
ect in the Middle East at the OPC Scholars luncheon on died last year while on assignment in Syria.
February 22. The fellowship will be awarded to a corre- Applicants are asked to submit a CV, five news writ-
spondent working on the ground in the Middle East with ing samples, a cover letter to Charles Sennott explaining
a minimum of three years of experience. why they are qualified and a project memo of no more
“GroundTruth” is a belief that you need to be there than 500 words outlining an idea for one long-form nar-
on the ground to get the story,” Sennott said in a state- rative piece or several shorter pieces that would form a
ment. “In an age in which too many journalists operate series. Applications should be e-mailed to ejudem@glo-
out of cubicles, we are committed to providing support balpost.com. Deadline: March 28. The winner will be
for correspondents who live and breathe the story, who announced mid-April and the work will take place on a
speak the language and who know the people and under- mutually agreed upon schedule for publishing on Glo-
stand the culture from where they are reporting.” balPost.com in September 2013.
The fellowship is in their collective honor and partic- The three-year grant was provided by The Correspon-
ularly in the spirit of the late foreign correspondent An- dents Fund and the fellowship will be directed by Sen-
thony Shadid, who had a long and distinguished report- nott. The OPC Foundation will administer the grant.
David Rhodes, presi-
dent of CBS News, with
Frederick Bernas, the
Cronkite winner.
Scholarship winner Patricia Rey Mallén Irene Curbally
accepts the Theo Wilson Scholarship. Kuhn winner
Marina Villeneuve
with Jack Howard-
Potter.
Carole Cooper of N.S. Bienstock talks with Jacob From left: Larry Smith, Roy Rowan and Bill Holstein,
Kushner, the first N.S. Bienstock winner all former OPC Presidents.
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 7PEOPLE... by Susan Kille susan@opcofamerica.org
OPC SCHOLARS
Jeremy Gantz, who won the World Press Photo of the Year
2007 H.L. Stevenson award from the
OPC Foundation, reported in Febru-
ary for the website of In These Times
about the precarious financial and
physical nature of foreign reporting
as news organizations continue to
shrink and rely on freelance jour-
nalists rather than staffers. Gantz,
a contributing editor to In These
Times, had a strong personal angle to
his report noting that he is a friend,
colleague and former roommate of
James Foley, a freelancer who was
kidnapped by masked gunmen in
Syria on Thanksgiving Day and is
still missing.
William J. Holstein, president of
the OPC Foundation, was quoted by Photo of the year for spot news: Two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi
Gantz in the piece. “The whole mod- and his older brother Muhammad were killed when their
el that made me a foreign correspon- house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike.
dent has been blown up,” Holstein A photo by Paul Hansen, a Swedish photojournalist for the daily news-
said. “Editors and producers have re- paper Dagens Nyheter, was named the World Press Photo of the Year
sorted to using freelancers on a much for 2012. The painterly image shows a funeral procession in Gaza where
wider, systematic scale. Since so anguished uncles hold the corpses of two small boys as their father’s
many of them are young, they lack body is carried behind on a stretcher. The three died in November when
their house was destroyed in an Israeli missile strike. Santiago Lyon, vice
knowledge about how to operate in president and director of photography for The Associated Press and an
dangerous places.” OPC board member, was chairman of the jury. He said a successful photo
connects in at least one of three places, “your head, your heart and your
WINNERS stomach, and I think this picture works on all three.” Other winners include
The George Polk Awards were photos from Syria taken by Rodrigo Abd of The Associated Press and
again a showcase for foreign report- Alessio Romenzi for Slate.
ing. OPC member Martin Smith Williams and cameraman Andrew under dangerous
and freelancer Austin Tice, who Portch were recognized for cover- conditions were
has been missing in Syria since Au- age of a Chinese human rights activ- honored with Al-
gust, were among the winners of
ist. Smith, a Frontline correspondent, fred I. duPont-Co-
14 awards announced February 18.
and producer Michael Kirk won for lumbia University
Bloomberg News and David Bar- Ward
“Money, Power and Wall Street,” a Awards on January
boza of The New York Times won
foreign reporting awards for separate series about the global financial cri- 22. Clarissa Ward
exposés on the wealth and connec- sis. Other winners were California of CBS News, re-
tions of the families of China’s rul- Watch, The Maine Sunday Telegram, peatedly snuck into
ers. The Times won three awards and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Syria and lived
Bloomberg earned two. Tice and Da- The New Yorker and The Washington with families there McEvers
vid Enders were part of a team from Post. The awards honor George W. to provide details
McClatchy Newspapers honored Polk, a CBS reporter who was killed about life in a country where report-
for articles on the civil war in Syria. in 1948 while covering the Greek ing is heavily restricted. Reporting
Tracey Shelton of GlobalPost won civil war. for NPR, Kelly McEvers, who is
for video reporting on the Syrian based in Beirut, and Deb Amos, a
conflict. CBS correspondent Holly Three women in Syria reporting roving correspondent who’s spent
OPC Bulletin • April 2012 • Page 8three decades cov- election in June. Most of those de- thanked by The Sunday Times for
ering the region, tained work for pro-reform publica- his previous work but told they had
also made frequent tions. A state-run news agency said a policy “of not taking copy from
trips into Syria. the arrested journalists had been ac- Syria as we believe the dangers of
Other winners in- cused of “collaborating with some of operating there are too great.” Syria
clude a Frontline Amos the Persian-language foreign media” is the deadliest country for journal-
story about underage girls in Af- — apparently a reference to the BBC ists, with CPJ reporting 28 deaths in
ghanistan forced to become brides and the Voice of America. 2012.
to pay off opium debts, Current
TV’s Vanguard series for a report on NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: For-
Mexican drug cartels buying guns in eign journalists will soon be able to
the United States and a documentary work here for up to a year on new
by Alison Klayman, about Ai Wei- short- and long-term journalist visas
wei, a dissident Chinese artist. Abi announced in February and expected
Wright, an OPC associate board to go into effect in April. For de-
member, is director of the awards. cades, reporters visited using tourist
OPC member Christiane Aman- visas and filed under pseudonyms.
pour was a presenter. The move is part of the dismantling
Journalists protest the detention of
Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim. of some, but not all, of the country’s
PRESS FREEDOM draconian censorship laws.
NEW YORK: In its annual “At- MOGADISHU: Protests that fol-
tacks on the Press” survey, The Com- lowed the January 10 arrest of So-
BANGKOK: Somyot Pruek-
mittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) mali freelancer Abdiaziz Abdinur
sakasemsuk, editor of the Voice of
reported February 14 that 70 journal- Ibrahim grew into an international
the Oppressed magazine, was sen-
ists had been killed while doing their outcry when he was sentenced Feb-
tenced January 23 to 10 years in
jobs in 2012, a grim increase from ruary 5 to a year in prison. In a coun-
jail for publishing articles in 2010
the 47 deaths in 2011, while another try were rape and sexual violence is
that prosecutors said defamed King
35 journalists had disappeared. CPJ rampant, Ibrahim was convicted of
Bhumibol Adulyadej. An extra year
said that in 2012 it had identified insulting state institutions after inter-
was added to Somyot’s sentence for
232 journalists who had been impris- viewing a woman who said she was
an unrelated defamation conviction.
oned, 53 more than a year earlier and raped by government security forces.
He did not a file a story from the The articles criticized the role of a
the highest number since the survey
interview. The 27-year-old woman fictional character that prosecutors
began in 1990.
was accused of making a false claim said represented the king. Discus-
MANGALORE, India: Seven and insulting a government body sions about the role of the monarchy
people were arrested after individu- and also sentenced to a year. The are forbidden in Thailand.
als believed to be part of a right- sentences have been appealed. Also
wing Hindu group attacked employ- in February, journalist Daud Abdi
ees of Karavali Ale on February 6, Daud was arrested and detained
seized and burned copies of the pa- without charge for more than a week
per’s February 7 edition and threat- after speaking out against the impris-
ened news vendors, news reports onment of Ibrahim. In a letter from
said. The daily paper had published the OPC’s Freedom of the Press
a front-page story linking the Hindu Committee, Larry Martz and Jac- Prueksakasemsuk gestures as he
group to drug trafficking. queline Albert-Simon urged Prime arrives at court in January.
Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon to drop
MURDERS
TERHAN: At least 15 journal- the charges against Ibrahim.
A Ukrainian prosecutor said in
ists from four Iranian newspapers
a February 20 broadcast interview
and one news agency were arrested LONDON: Freelancers have
said The Sunday Times has asked that his office has collected evi-
at the end of January and accused
of contact with foreign news media. them to stop sending reports and dence that proves former President
Iranian rights advocates said the ar- photographs from Syria. The Press Leonid Kuchma was involved in the
rests were part of a broad campaign Gazette, a British media trade maga- 2000 murder of Georgiy Gongadze,
of intimidation to forestall unrest zine, reported February 5 that photo- who founded the Ukrainska Pravda
with the approach of the presidential journalist Rick Findler said he was (Continued on Page 10)
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 9(Continued From Page 9) ment announced a $50,000 reward home in Ogidi to visit the paper’s
news site. Gongadze had been prob- for information leading to convic- printing house, reports said. The
ing alleged corruption in Kuchma’s tions for the murders of journalists. victim’s brother and co-publisher,
government when his headless body According to the International Press Chukwulozie Udendu, said he re-
was found in a forest outside Kiev. Institute, at least 18 Somali journal- ceived a call that night telling him
Kuchma was investigated for the ists were killed in 2012. On January where to find her brother’s body.
killing but charges against him were 18, Abdihared Osman Aden, a pro-
dropped. In January, a former sur- ducer for Shabelle Media Network, UPDATES
veillance official was sentenced for became the fifth journalist working GLOBAL: On the first anniver-
his involvement in the death. for Shabelle to be murdered in the sary of the deaths of Marie Colvin
last 13 months. He was shot several and Rémi Ochlik on February 22,
times when three men armed with “A Day Without News?” launched to
Bangladesh shut down a blog site
pistols opened fire on him as he was provoke the public to imagine what
for spreading “hate speech and caus-
walking to work in Mogadishu. a day without news might be like.
ing communal tension” after it was
The initiative, started by a coalition
linked to the February 15 murder in
Marcelino Vásquez, who owned of international photo journalists, is
Dhaka of a blogger who helped or-
a radio station in Paraguay near the an awareness campaign to encourage
ganize protests against the leaders
Brazil border, was shot dead Febru- better protection of journalists and is
of the largest Islamic party. Ahmed ary 6 by two armed motorcycle rid- being led by Aidan Sullivan, who is
Rajib Haider, an architect and an ers. He was killed while leaving the a Vice Presi-
outspoken anti-Islamist blogger, was station on the way home. Report- dent for Getty
hacked to death near his home after ers Without Borders said the attack Images. In
he joined a large protest demand- likely came from organized crime. the next year,
ing the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami In 1991, journalist Santiago Le- the coalition
party leaders who are on trials for guizamón was murdered in the same will continue
war crimes. According to news re- small town; that case has never been to meet with
ports, a fellow blogger said the pro- solved. governments
Jamaat website that was shut down to push policy
had named Haider as a target. Snipers in Syria were blamed for to fight against impunity and to part-
the deaths of two reporters within ner with educational institutions and
The body of Nemichand Jain, 24 hours. The Aleppo Media Centre NGOs to identify, investigate and
a journalist based in Tongpal, India, said a Syrian Army sniper murdered prosecute cases where journalists
was found February 12 on a road Yves Debay, a French journalist and media personnel have been tar-
with his throat slit. A note clipped to and founder of the military affairs geted and killed. The initiative seeks
his belt accused him of being a po- magazine Assault, on January 17 in journalists of every stripe to sign a
lice informer, according to the Times Aleppo. On January 18, Mohamed petition of support and promote the
of India. Reports said that Jain, who Al-Massalma, a freelance reporter cause through social media. More
worked for the Hindi dailies Hari for Al Jazeera, was shot dead while information and the petition can be
Bhoomi and Dainik Bhaskar, had covering frontline fighting in the found on the website adaywithout-
gone to a weekly market that day and southern Syrian province of Deraa. news.com.
never returned. A statement from Al Jazeera said tar-
geting its “collaborating journalists NEW YORK: OPC member
and crews will not change the edito- Stephen B. Shepard said in Febru-
rial method and guidelines adopted ary that he will step down as dean of
by the network since it was launched CUNY’s Graduate
16 years ago for the sake of deliver- School of Journal-
ing the truth.” ism at the end of
2013. He said he
Ikechukwu Udendu, a Nigerian expects to continue
The body of Abdihared Osman Aden. who published and as a professor and
In the same month that judicial edited a monthly work on projects in- Shepard
officials in Somalia enraged the newspaper, Anam- cluding the univer-
world by sentencing a reporter to jail bra News, was sity’s new journalism book imprint.
for interviewing a woman who said killed January 12 Shepard became the founding editor
she was raped, the Somali govern- after he left his Udendu of the school in 2006 after serving
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 10ing editor to accept a buyout pack-
Photojournalists Now Have an Action Figure age in January from The Times. It
War Journalist: Battlefield Hero, a photojournal-
was the fourth time in five years that
ist action figure, has gotten a lot of buzz recently, the newspaper has offered buyouts
for its novelty, the accompanying realistic cam- to cut newsroom staff. While Ged-
era kit and a striking resemblance to Leonardo des is staying on to help with the
DiCaprio. In addition to camera gear and chang- transition, others who have left their
es of clothes, the set includes a press pass, pen, former jobs include Culture Editor
notebook, cell phone,
Bluetooth headset and Jon Landman, classical music critic
water bottle. The best James R. Oestreich, Deputy Busi-
place to get one is on ness Editor Winnie O’Kelley, As-
eBay by searching for sistant Managing Editor Jim Rob-
“toymaster war journal- erts, Deputy Managing Editor Bill
ist.” The complete pack-
age sells for about $100 Schmidt, Editor of News Technolo-
but the miniature cam- gy Terry Schwadron, Sports Editor
era kits are available Joe Sexton, and News Editor Paul
separately for around Winfield.
$20. On Petapixel.com,
comments about the
HONG KONG: David
action figure included:
“This plastic man has better gear than I do!” “I would love a female ver- Schlesinger is making good use of
sion!” “Hipsterism now comes to action figures.” “Is this the Jim Nachtw- decades of China and media experi-
ey action figure circa 1990 (minus the laptop)?” ence after stepping down in August
as chairman of Thomson Reuters
more than 20 years as editor-in-chief ity for ethics and standards in the China. Schlesinger is the managing
of BusinessWeek. Previously, he was previous structure. In January, Jim director and founder of Tripod Advi-
a senior editor at Newsweek and edi- Impoco, a veteran business journal- sors, a consultancy that advises on
tor of the Saturday Review. In 2012, ist who had been one of Freeland’s political risk analysis and strategy
he published a memoir called Dead- main deputies on the digital side, said and on running global organizations
lines and Disruption: My Turbulent he would leave Reuters at the end of with an emphasis on China and me-
Path From Print to Digital. The up- the month. Impoco, who worked as dia. He is also chairman of Posei-
coming vacancy at CUNY follows an editor at The New York Times and don Research, a due diligence firm.
the announcement in October that the late Portfolio magazine, did not Schlesinger joined Reuters in 1987
Nicholas Lemann will leave as dean say where he was headed. In Febru- as a Hong Kong correspondent and
of Columbia University’s Gradu- ary, Freeland announced that Jim managed editorial operations in Tai-
ate School of Journalism in June; Roberts, who took a recent buyout wan, China, and the Greater China
Columbia has not announced his re- from The Times, would be executive region from 1989 to 1995. He was
placement. editor of Thomson Reuters Digital, a appointed Reuters editor-in-chief in
new position. January 2007 after posts that includ-
In a restructuring at Thomson Re- ed global managing editor. He be-
uters announced by Editor-in-Chief Digital First Media, which op- came chairman of Thomson Reuters
Stephen Adler in December, OPC erates MediaNews Group, Journal China in 2011.
member Chrystia Freeland, who Register Co. and Digital First Ven-
had been editor of Thomson Reuters tures, announced a content partner- SAN FRANCISCO: Damon
Digital, was promoted to managing ship in January with GlobalPost. The Darlin, who has enjoyed one of the
director and editor of consumer news. partnership will provide Digital First great runs in international journal-
She is now responsible for editorial, Media access to all content produced ism working for a variety of publi-
product, sales and design of digital by GlobalPost’s growing network of cations in major cities, is moving to
and mobile news properties, all of more than 50 journalists across the New York to begin work as inter-
which will be re-launched in 2013. globe. Charles Sennott, an OPC national business editor at The New
Alix Freedman, who is a member member, is vice president, executive York Times. He began his career in
of the OPC Foundation board which editor and co-founder of GlobalPost. 1979 at the St. Cloud Daily News in
grants a scholarship named for her Minnesota. He worked at The Wall
father, Emanuel Freedman, became John M. Geddes, a managing Street Journal in Cleveland and De-
global head of ethics and standards. editor for The New York Times for troit and then moved to Tokyo for
Freedman had editorial responsibil- the last decade, is the highest-rank- (Continued on Page 12)
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 11(Continued From Page 11) Maryland. He was 87 and had con- paper. One of Drake’s eccentricities,
the Journal. He was the Journal’s gestive heart failure. Although best Tudor wrote, was a whirligig, a spin-
bureau chief in Seoul from 1989 to known for his books and documen- ning toy made of wire that he twirled
1992 until Forbes lured him to Los taries, Karnow spent decades as a when working on story ideas. A
Angeles. Then, he became assistant correspondent in Southeast Asia, whirling whirligig meant Drake was
managing editor at U.S. News & working for Time-Life, The Satur- in creative mode.
World Report in Washington in 1996. day Evening Post, The Washington
In 2000, at the height of the Internet Post, NBC News, The New Repub-
bubble, Darlin took the plunge to lic, King Features Syndicate and
Business 2.0 magazine in San Fran- the Public Broadcasting Service.
cisco. In 2005, he joined The Times Working for Time magazine, he re-
as a columnist on the West Coast and ported on the first two American
became technology editor in 2007 deaths in Vietnam in 1959 and went
while based in San Francisco. on to cover the war in its entirety.
In 1983, he published the 750-page Once-and-future bureau chiefs in
LONDON: You might want to book Vietnam: A History and a 13- April 1972 in AP’s Saigon bureau,
mark your calendar for March 11 and hour PBS documentary, “Vietnam: from left: George Esper, ’73-75;
Malcolm Browne, ’61-64; George
not just because it’s Rupert Mur- A Television History,” followed.
McArthur, ’68-69; Edwin Q. White,
doch’s 82nd birthday. John Dale, a Karnow delivered a second compre- ’65-67; Richard Pyle, ’70-73.
veteran British journalist, is expand- hensive book about Southeast Asia
ing “24 Hours in Journalism,” a 2012 in 1989 that was also accompanied Edwin Q. White, a former Sai-
effort that led to a publication voted by a television series; the book, In gon bureau chief for The Associated
one of the 40 best books ever about Our Image: America’s Empire in Press, died November 1 at his home
journalism. This year he’s calling it the Philippines, earned a Pulitzer in in Honolulu, where he lived after re-
“24 Hours In World Journalism.” a career that included Emmy, OPC, tiring in 1987. White, who was 90,
He is inviting journalists across the Peabody, Polk and duPont-Columbia had congestive heart failure and was
world to detail their day’s activities awards. Karnow also wrote Mao and among five fabled AP Saigon staff
beginning at 6 a.m. GMT Monday, China: From Revolution to Revolu- members to die in 2012, including
March 11. Details are available at tion (1972) and was a co-author of or his close friend and former Hawaii
24hoursinjournalism2013.com. contributor to other books based on neighbor Roy Essoyan. The others
his years in Asia. were George Esper, Horst Faas
PEOPLE REMEMBERED and Malcolm Browne. White, who
Tom Aspell, a foreign correspon- Harold A. “Hal” Drake, who for spent four decades with the AP, be-
dent for NBC News, died February nearly four decades was a reporter, gan covering Vietnam in 1962 when
11 in Cyprus after a two-year battle senior writer and columnist for Pa- he was assigned to AP’s Tokyo bu-
with lung cancer. He was 62. After cific Stars and Stripes, died of stom- reau. He served as Saigon bureau
beginning his ca- ach cancer January 27 in a hospice chief from 1965 to 1967 as the Unit-
reer as a script- in Queensland, Australia. He was ed States shifted from an advisory to
writer and camera- 83. His diverse reporting career in- a full combat role. He left on one of
man for Visnews cluded the Vietnam War, interviews the last evacuation helicopters from
in 1970, Aspell with global entertainers, Mohammed the roof of the U.S. embassy. In the
worked for CBS Ali’s boxing, high-level summits and book Lost Over Laos: A True Story
and ABC before joining NBC in high school sports. An obituary writ- of Tragedy, Mystery, and Friendship,
1985 as a producer. He later became ten by Geoffrey Tudor of the For- Faas and co-author Richard Pyle
a foreign correspondent and covered eign Correspondents’ Club of Japan recalled how White, known as “un-
events including the fall of Saigon, relates how Drake’s strengths as a flappable Ed” worked in the Saigon
the toppling of Saddam Hussein, journalist and his doggedness led the bureau one night in 1969. As Viet
the Bosnian War and Beirut. NBC’s FCCJ board to change its “Regular” Cong rockets tore through the city,
Brian Williams described Aspell, a membership qualifications to in- White “calmly cranked a new sheet
New Zealand native, as “an intense clude Stars and Stripes, a U.S. mili- of paper into his typewriter,” they
brand of cool under fire.” tary paper published in Tokyo since wrote, “put the world on hold while
shortly after World War II. Drake’s he relit his pipe, and said, `If you are
Stanley Karnow, a prize-win- backers pointed out he was known a journalist at this time in the 20th
ning historian and journalist, died for defying military bureaucrats who century, and you are not in Vietnam,
January 27 at his home in Potomac, periodically tried to influence the just what … are you doing?’ ”
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 12Results of Hackers’ Work Threatens Press Freedom
by Susan Kille berattacks. Then, Twitter, Facebook and Apple said they
Hacked off? You could be. Either with anger at un- were hacked. And it’s not just the Chinese. Bloomberg
ethical journalism and the dangerous backlash it could reported February 20 that those three companies were
bring or more personally hacked, as described in Bloom- among 40 firms targeted in malware attacks linked to
berg BusinessWeek’s February 18 cover story: “Yes, the Eastern European hackers trying to steal company se-
Chinese Army Is Spying on You.” crets.
First, the journalist hackers: Six more journalists who Reporters Without Borders was among 45 groups
had worked for the defunct News of the World were ar- that sent a letter on January 24 asking Skype and its
rested February 13 in connection with what Scotland owner Microsoft to release information about user data
Yard described as “new lines of inquiry” in its probe of it gives to third parties, including government agencies.
phone hacking at the paper that has resulted in 32 ar- Microsoft said it would consider the request. Other on-
rests so far. Altogether, more than 100 reporters, editors, line companies, including Google and
investigators, executives and public of- Twitter, release regular reports detailing
ficials have been arrested in an investi- requests for user data by third parties.
gation into possible criminal activity at “Many journalists or activists have re-
British newspapers including allegations ported to us that their Skype communica-
of bribing officials to obtain confiden- tions have been intercepted,” Grégoire
tial information. The investigation has Pouget of Reporters Without Borders
centered on two of Rupert Murdoch’s told The Verge, a website that covers
British tabloids: The Sun, a daily, and The technology and society.
News of the World, a Sunday publication
At a news conference about “Attacks
closed as the scandal broke in July 2011.
on the Press” on February 14, Robert
Murdoch’s News International has paid
Mahoney, deputy director of the Com-
millions of pounds in damages to hacking
mittee to Protect Journalists, described
victims. Backlash could bring legislation
cyberattacks of journalists and news
that would end more than three centuries
organizations as inexpensive and easy
of press freedom from statutory regula-
censorship. He cited the examples of
tion.
On January 30, Nicole Perlroth reported for The The Times and major publications but said many lesser-
New York Times that Chinese hackers infiltrated the com- known news organizations as well as individual journal-
pany’s computer system in an attack th2323at coincided ists had been subjected to cyberattacks.
with the October publication of an exposé on wealth ac- At least 12 reporters working for foreign and local
cumulated by the relatives of Wen Jiabao, China’s prime media in Myanmar, including a correspondent for The
minister. The hackers broke into the e-mail accounts of Associated Press, said in early February they received
David Barboza, the Shanghai Bureau chief who wrote warnings from Google that their e-mail accounts might
the Wen report, and Jim Yardley, who is based in India have been hacked by “state-sponsored attackers.” Myan-
as South Asia bureau chief and who had been Beijing mar’s government denied that it was behind any hacking
Bureau chief. Security experts hired by The Times found attempts. A Google spokesman confirmed the attacks but
evidence that the hackers stole the corporate passwords the company would not say how it determines an attack
for every employee and used those to gain access to the is “state sponsored” and would not identify a suspected
personal computers of 53 employees, mainly journalists government.
who work outside the New York newsroom. The experts The Bloomberg Businessweek cover story on hacking
said the hacking techniques used were similar to those of by the Chinese Army was written by Dune Lawrence
the Chinese military. Also, Bloomberg News confirmed and Michael Riley. In a sidebar, Lawrence wrote that
to The Times that it had been attacked after a June 29 her laptop crashed while she was working on the piece.
report on the wealth accumulated by relatives of Xi Jin- After she rebooted, a pink banner at the top of her Gmail
ping, China’s vice president at the time. in-box read: “Warning: We believe state-sponsored at-
After Bloomberg News and The Times published tackers may be attempting to compromise your account
their Chinese exposés, their websites were blocked in or computer.” Google would not comment on the alert or
China and they remain blocked. what triggered it.
In the two days after The Times reported it was Lawrence wrote: “Security experts can’t say it
hacked, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington enough: There are very few places Chinese digital spies
Post also reported they had been victims of Chinese cy- haven’t gotten into.”
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 13In Search of the Calcutta Colonialism Left Behind
EVENT RECAP: FEBRUARY 20
by Aimee Vitrak
OPC member, photo journalist and Indiana Univer-
sity Professor of Journalism Steven Raymer’s interest
in Calcutta began in 1972 when he worked in layout at
National Geographic magazine and saw a story about
the once-great colonial capital. His interest renewed
Aimee Vitrak
when he delved into its history, the culture — the city
has more than 200 theater troupes and its residents are
known for their affection for politics and literature —
and most tantalizing of all: the press corps has been fo-
cused elsewhere. “It’s nice to have a bit of an exclusive,”
Raymer said at his OPC Book Night on February 20. “I Interlocutor Ruth Fremson and Steve Raymer pose with
had never been to Calcutta and wanted to see it and bring his book and the projection of the cover shot behind
it to the rest of the world.” them before the talk.
He made six trips in five years, partially funded by In-
diana University and the rest self-funded that eventually
became his new book, Redeeming Calcutta: A Portrait
of India’s Imperial Capital [Oxford University Press].
The trips became more difficult for him to make during
this time because airlines cut back their direct service to
the city. Now, Raymer said, Calcutta is refocusing itself
to the South East Asian tourist market and less on the
Steven Raymer
Western world, which only extends the “exclusive” as-
pect of the city and its charm.
To navigate the city and its many bureaucratic thick-
ets, Raymer did what some journalists might consider
taboo: he went to the American consulate and asked for
help. “The consulate opened so many doors for me,” The cover image on Raymer’s book of rickshaw-pullers
resting on a backstreet. There are some 6,000 licensed
Raymer said. “I used the Americans when I needed to
rickshaw-drivers in Calcutta. Raymer mentioned the
fight bureaucracy.” spontaneous symmetry of this photo during the talk.
The press person from Mother Teresa’s Kalighat, the
this dates to colonial times and how Calcutta is often
Home of the Pure Heart, a hospice for the sick and dy-
portrayed in the media as a poor city with subjugated
ing, gave him the run-around with all kinds of stipula-
natives. He was sensitive to this history and knew that
tions for photographing and time limits. He enlisted the
being Western put him as an immediate and obvious out-
help of the consulate general who arrived to the hospi-
sider. Still, he contends that the outsider status enabled
tal with two American military personnel and the doors
him to see the city with fresh eyes, and an enthusiasm
to the hospice were opened and exposed not a decrepit
hospital but one with many European doctors-in-training about Calcutta’s architecture, people and history that a
who are required to volunteer their services in under- local might overlook. “I could go to a mosque and say,
served regions in the world in order to complete their ‘this is all in good faith,’ without being a Hindu or a Jain
medical degrees. without so much baggage as a local,” Raymer said. “I
Raymer also volunteered to give lectures at universi- brought an emotional distance and persistence.”
ties and met local journalists, which gave him greater Photos from the book were projected during the talk
insight and sometimes even pointers on where and how with Ruth Fremson, staff photographer for The New York
to shoot certain locations. Raymer said this type of part- Times who traveled extensively in India from 2005 to
nership is a necessary ingredient for jumping into an as- 2011, served as the interlocutor.
signment where so many variables are unknown to the One photo was of people on a bridge, but it was the
visitor. story behind the photo that made it all the more amazing:
The people of Calcutta were not always enthusias- one million people cross the bridge daily and so many
tic participants in Raymer’s project, however, and were people spit on the bridge that the acid from their saliva
sometimes hostile when they saw a camera. Raymer said (Continued on Page 15)
OPC Bulletin • February 2013 • Page 14You can also read
