John Pomfret
John Pomfret
John Pomfretwas an English poet and clergyman...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
CountryUnited States of America
china sent
And the AP sent me to China very quickly.
opportunity quite
And then I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to China in 1980, which was quite early.
factions hard indication job periods time
The one indication that I got that I was doing the right job in Bosnia was that at different periods of time all the factions came down very hard on me.
witness
I think you're a witness and a recorder.
among bosnia certain extent gone rwanda society swept took
I think to a certain extent in Bosnia and among the Hutus in Rwanda and also among the Tutsis in Rwanda who then took revenge on the Hutus, there is a sense of being swept up and a sense that the society in which they live has gone mad.
affect bosnia directly engage main national rwanda threat unless
I think that's the main threat in Bosnia and Rwanda and Zaire. There doesn't seem to be much willingness to engage these problems unless they directly affect national security interests.
addition best connect fact illustrate reporters shared time trying
I think some of the best reporters are the ones who can really illustrate the differences between societies, at the same time trying to connect the fact that there are a lot of shared values in addition to those differences.
covering newspaper states
I went back to the States and started at a small newspaper in Riverside County, California, covering the police; I was making $280 a week covering the police.
crime horrendous war
Srebrenica was a horrendous war crime and it had to be uncovered.
stanford
Stanford had no journalism program so I just learned by doing, effectively.
life numerous
I had my life threatened by Bosnian Serbs on numerous occasions.
china front grew page regular relations time york
I grew up in New York City in the late '70s, at a time when U.S. - China relations were something that was on the front page of The New York Times on a regular basis.
domestic reporting
In some ways the domestic reporting is a lot easier because Americans will talk to you about anything.
came journalist paid
The desire to become a journalist came really because I very much like living abroad, and like to travel, and wanted to be paid for it.