Backpack Journalism Workshop in December

The next Backpack Journalism Workshop With NOW on PBS will be held December 10-13. Registration ends November 6. See http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/440/Journalism-Workshop.html

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The Future of Backpack Journalism, Part II

WASHINGTON, 13 September 2009 — Following is Part II of yesterday’s post, The Future of Backpack Journalism. PART II: The utility and effectiveness of the backpack journalism model apply to the local level, as well. Especially for character-driven feature pieces on which the journalist has the luxury of some time, it is a powerful, liberating […]

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The Future of Backpack Journalism

WASHINGTON, 12 September 2009 – Following is a message I sent to a colleague in response to his query about the future of backpack journalism. I think my response may be instructive especially for practitioners of the craft, like former student and colleague Glenn Luther, seen above. I’ve divided my message into Parts I and […]

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A Terrible Loss

WASHINGTON, 12 September 2009 — It was the late 1990s and Christian Poveda (left) and I were both on assignment in Central America for Newsweek magazine. We were shipping rolls of film to Newsweek headquarters in New York and I watched Christian use gaffer’s tape to bind a dozen or so rolls together. The idea […]

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Backpack Journalism in Taiwan

American University graduate student David Coffey, above, focuses on covering Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. The Taiwan military used helicopters to rescue civilians trapped by the typhoon that swept through parts of Taiwan in August. David is the first-ever recipient of the American University-Associated Press Foreign Internship Award. For the internship, David is based in Bangkok, […]

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“Nicaragua: An Unfinished Revolution”

WASHINGTON, 29 August 2009 — The documentary, “Nicaragua: An Unfinished Revolution,” recently was broadcast by Al Jazeera English. It was reported by Lucia Newman, a colleague from my Central America days who now works for that broadcast outlet. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URdzoDrp-Ss.html I was interviewed for the piece because I had covered the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, and […]

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