Riya V. Anandwala | Oct. 4, 2009
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| Photo by Evan A. Martin |
| Reporter Joe Linstroth, center, interviewed sculptor Izeir Mustafa in his Podujevo, Kosovo, studio in June. Linstroth and photographer Evan Martin traveled to the Balkans for an international reporting experience. |
Reynolds is one among hundreds of young journalists with the passion for international reporting. But with the collapse of newspapers and failed Web site revenue models, they not only are trying to learn as many skills as possible but also are taking up part-time jobs to pay their bills.
The interest in being a foreign correspondent has always been strong, according to professors who have worked in several locations around the globe, but the job openings today are fewer.
The death of the newspaper industry often is spoken in the same breath as the rise of blogging, which is considered the new medium for the budding journalism students to showcase their talent. But associate professor Steve Raymer believes blogging is for people who don’t have a job. Instead, he said he encourages students to learn more about reporting from abroad, and develop additional skills along with some commercial or teaching skills that will help sustain them in dire situations.
Another obstacle for Western journalists in reporting internationally is the news media’s preference of local scribes over traditionally chosen foreigner journalists. Associate professor Jim Kelly said Americans are now competing with the local journalists.
“Journalism education in many countries is better today, and it is less expensive to man a bureau with a local,” he said.
One of the key factors is the cost involved in gathering news abroad compared to local or national news. A foreign correspondent needs equipment and translators to report from a different country.
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| Photo by Sheila Zhao |
| Sheila Zhao, BAJ ‘05, is in Beijing, where she shot this photo of Chinese refugees at a government-run shelter. She said her biggest obstacle as an international reporter is working without an official journalist visa. |
Raymer’s former student, Sheila Zhao, is in Beijing, living her international reporting dream. She said her biggest obstacle is working without an official journalist visa. This means Zhao sometimes has no legal protection from any entities.
For Zhao, BAJ ’05, who was born in China and raised in New Jersey, pitching stories to overseas publications has been a difficult process with the limited resources available in a country like China.
“The pros of international reporting come with the large variety of stories one can delve into when abroad,” she said in an e-mail interview. Adding that stories about China are in demand now.
For example, Zhao was assisting Reuter’s chief photographer on a weekend trip to Linfen, China, one of the most polluted cities in the world. At that time, China’s central government already had granted international journalists more freedom in their reporting, including allowing them to visit sensitive regions without prior approval. However, local officials in Linfen still were nervous with their presence, she said.
“This fact was most obvious when they caught scent of our presence in the city and sent two or three cars to follow us for about one and a half hours while we cruised around Linfen and the surrounding countryside,” she said.
Today’s state of the news is eroding opportunities for those who wish to pursue international reporting. Before, newspapers would invest two years in reporters by sending them to schools either to specialize in a beat or learn a language.
Raymer said those reporters have to find the right model to practice international reporting.
“The definition of news is changing, but we still need foreign correspondents,” he said.
He said young reporters must be entrepreneurial. They should be able to write, shoot video, be familiar with all sorts of multimedia. Raymer suggested they also must be willing to make some sacrifices, such as supplementing their income by waiting tables or teaching English. And if they know local languages, they will have an upper hand over the others.
Reynolds chose Yemen as it is strategically located. While he is confident of the freelance work supporting him financially, he is also dependent on English tutoring and working with an NGO to pay his bills.
Reynolds came back to IU to upgrade his digital media skills and enrolled in a class this summer. Since he has been in the Middle East for a considerable amount of time, he is focusing on basing his career there, he said. However, at the moment his main concern is to build a network of contacts in Yemen to get his stories published.
A recent graduate, Evan Martin, who completed a project in Bulgaria this summer with colleague Joseph Linstroth, aims to build his photojournalism portfolio. His immediate step is to mop floors or take any job that can sustain him as he takes on freelance work.
“Anybody doing this to support a family is stupid,” he said about international reporting in an e-mail. “It feels more like an artistic calling to me, or just an adventure for a young man.”
