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Foreign Correspondence Ian Urbina - The Outlaw Ocean PodcastNo this is not a repeat of our previous interview with Ian Urbina (@ian_urbina) from three years ago. Ian comes back on the pod to discuss the second season of The Outlaw Ocean Podcast, the audio arm of his independent non-profit news organization The Outlaw Ocean Project. We also talk about work-life balance and his old job working at the Blue Man Group. Countries featured: China, North Korea, Libya, India, Haiti, Greece Publication featured: The Outlaw Ocean Project, The New Yorker, The New York Times Here are links to some of the...

2025-07-2055 min

Foreign Correspondence Emily Glazer - Wall Street Journal - Power & InfluenceElon Musk incited the troll hordes upon Emily Glazer. Not only did she live to tell the tale, she went on to write bombshell stories on Musk's drug use. Talk about not pulling your punches. Glazer, who reports on power and influence at the Wall Street Journal, talks about her roller coaster career and how she manages to produce so many big stories. Countries featured: United States, Mexico Publications featured: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Sun, Austin American Statesmen Here are links to some of the things we talked a...

2024-10-201h 34

Foreign Correspondence Daniel Alvarenga - El Salvador - Humo podcastHumo: Murder and Silence in El Salvador connects a gruesome story of mass murder in El Salvador to a larger shift in the country's society with the election of Nayib Bukele. Daniel Alvarenga (@pipianspice), host of the English-language version of the podcast, brings years of experience reporting on El Salvador as well as his experience as a Salvedorean-American to the show. He discusses his backdoor route into journalism, years spent making viral news videos and his struggles to make a career of telling Central American stories. Countries featured: USA, El Salvador, Honduras Publications featured: Al...

2024-07-241h 41

Foreign Correspondence Jen Wieczner - Features - New York Magazine“If someone were going to make this story into a movie, I want to hear about the scenes that would be in it.” Notable scenes of Jen Wieczner's career include commuting from Boston to New York while juggling a juice bar job and a journalism internship, scrambling for interviews in Japan, and attending the Goldman Sachs CEO's late night DJ set. Now a features writer at New York Magazine, she discusses how she approaches long-form stories on finance and other topics. Countries featured: United States, Japan Publications featured: Fast Company, Marie Claire, Smart Money, Market Watc...

2024-06-161h 34

Foreign Correspondence Sean Collins Walsh - Philadelphia Inquirer - Politics"To tab. Verb. To rewrite a news article in a tabloid-style." We learn a new word in this episode of the podcast from Sean Collins Walsh, a City Hall reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sean looks back on his first job at the tabloid Philadelphia Daily News and a career that has landed him reporting back in his hometown of Philly. Countries featured: USA, Uganda Publications featured: Philadelphia Daily News, Austin American-Statesmen, The Philadelphia Inquirer Here are links to some of the things we talked about: The first FoCo e...

2024-05-021h 41

Foreign Correspondence Alden Wicker - Author of To Dye ForA promising journalism career briefly takes a dark turn down the path of Instagram influencing. Alden Wicker, a freelance journalist and author, managed to come out the other side. Her career as a sustainable fashion journalist - as the editor of EcoCult and freelancer for numerous big name publications - culminated with her book To Dye For. We also discuss manifesting, MDMA and sex parties. Countries featured: U.S.A., Bangladesh, India Publications featured: Huffington Post, LearnVest, Newsweek, EcoCult, WIRED, Quartz, Refinery29, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, VTDigger Here are links to so...

2024-04-011h 56

Foreign Correspondence David Luhnow - UK & Mexico - Wall Street JournalBorn in Mexico to American parents, David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) returned to report on the country for decades. Luhnow talks about the tectonic shifts in Mexico and yet, how through all this time, the country's institutions continue to fail. The mental toll of years reporting on Mexico's drug war contributed to his leaving to become the current United Kingdom bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. Also, he gets punched in the face. Countries featured: Mexico, Panama, Iraq, Egypt, United Kingdom Publications featured: The Mexico City News, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal Here...

2023-11-201h 42

Foreign Correspondence Andrew Downie - Latin America & SportsLeaving school at age 16 for a technical apprenticeship, Andrew Downie (@adowniebrazil) would stumble into his first journalism job while traveling in Mexico. Within five years he'd be working for The New York Times in Haiti. After decades of covering Latin America, Andrew now lives in Spain where he is working on a biography of soccer legend Pelé. Countries featured: Brazil, Haiti, Mexico, Spain, Scotland Publications featured: The Mexico City News, UPI, New York Times, The Houston Chronicle, Time magazine, Reuters Here are links to some of the things we talked about:...

2023-09-101h 26

Foreign Correspondence Liana Baker - Mergers & Acquisitions - BloombergBusiness is a lot like sports. It's competitive and stock prices keep the score. Also keeping score is one of the world's highest powered business journalists: Liana Baker (@LianaBaker), managing editor for the Bloomberg deals team in the United States. She talks about how dabbling in sports, foreign reporting and environment eventually led her down the path of hardcore business reporting on the M&A beat. Countries featured: United States, Israel, Brazil, South Korea Publications featured: MarketWatch, Reuters, Bloomberg Here are links to some of the things we talked about:

2023-08-241h 27

Foreign Correspondence Gloria Dickie - Reuters / Author of Eight Bears - LondonCan you name the world's eight bear species? Gloria Dickie (@GloriaDickie), a London-based Climate & Environment Correspondent for Reuters, has documented them all in her book Eight Bears. Gloria tells the improbable story of how she conceived and reported the book while working as a freelancer and living on the road as she traveled the world in search of each bear. Countries featured: USA, Canada, Vietnam, China, India, Peru, Ecuador, UK Publications featured: National Geographic, Mongabay, New York Times, Reuters Here are links to some of the things we talked about:

2023-07-091h 28

Foreign Correspondence Lina Sinjab - Syria/Lebanon - BBCThere are no happy endings in Syria after more than a decade of war. Lina Sinjab (@BBCLinaSinjab), a BBC correspondent based in Beirut, talks about covering the civil war from the start and the terrible toll it has taken on her and her home country. As a multi-format journalist, she regularly produces radio and video documentaries as well as written articles from Syria and the wider region. Countries featured: Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, UK, Yeman, Libya Publications featured: BBC, New Lines Magazine Here are links to some of the things we talked a...

2023-04-171h 14

Foreign Correspondence Kendra Pierre-Louis - Climate ChangeClimate change reporting often means documenting some of the worst events that ever happen to people. But Kendra Pierre-Louis (@kendrawrites), whether reporting for the podcast How to Save the Planet, or posting pictures of bear sex, manages to make it not totally depressing. Kendra, an independent climate reporter, talks about gradually finding her way into journalism, reporting in India and Myanmar, and her years at NYT. Countries featured: USA, India, Myanmar Publications featured: Spotify/Gimlet's How to Save the Planet, The New York Times, Popular Science, Inside Climate News, Sierra, Hakai, Newsweek, 538, Modern Farmer, Vice

2023-03-121h 40

Foreign Correspondence Valerie Hopkins - Russia/Ukraine/Balkans - NYTThe day the war broke out in Ukraine, Valerie Hopkins (@VALERIEinNYT) was in Kiev unsure of what was about to happen. Only a few months into working for The New York Times, she was at the center of the biggest story in the world. She now reports on the war as one of a dwindling number foreign correspondents in Russia, interviewing Russians who see the conflict in very different terms than the rest of the world. We also discuss her many years reporting across the Balkans. Countries featured: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Ukraine...

2023-01-301h 29

Foreign Correspondence Will Brown - Daily Telegraph - NairobiA chance meeting with some French journalists in a New Delhi park led Will Brown (@_Will_Brown) to quit his job as a teacher to become a reporter. After freelancing doesn't work out, he finds himself back in London working at The Economist, eventually being dispatched as a stringer to Senegal. He also talks about covering the outbreak of the Tigray War from the Sudan-Ethiopia border as Africa Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph. Countries featured: India, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Guinea, Sudan, DR Congo, UK Publications featured: The Times of London, The Economist, Daily Telegraph

2022-12-111h 02

Foreign Correspondence Marco Hernandez - Graphics - New York TimesThe Society of News Design's best designer in the world, Marco Hernandez (@TmarcoH) tells us how he grew up in Costa Rican coffee country and has been recruited to a series of jobs that took him around the world. Ever humble, he also talks about how he likes to draw insects to relax and maintains a website dedicated to his failed projects. Countries featured: Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA Publications featured: La Nacion, South China Morning Post, Reuters, New York Times Here are links to some of the things we t...

2022-11-061h 23

Foreign Correspondence Drew Hinshaw - Wall Street Journal - Europe/West AfricaThe kidnapped Chibok girls were the identifiable victims of Nigeria's war with Boko Haram islamist insurgents. Drew Hinshaw (@drewhinshaw) talks about reporting around Europe and Africa for the Wall Street Journal while co-writing an award-winning book about the Chibok girls on nights and weekends. We also find out what happens when you wear the wrong pants to cover a press conference with Barack Obama. Countries featured: Ghana, Nigeria, Poland, Senegal, Mali, Spain, USA Publications featured: Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Metro, Rolling Stone Here are links to some of the things we t...

2022-10-021h 27

Foreign Correspondence Thomas Peter - Reuters - China (& Ukraine)Russia invaded Ukraine and the next day Thomas Peter was crossing the border from Poland to cover the war. Tom, a Reuters photographer, thought he understood Russia after spending his 20s living in the country. But little could prepare him for the indiscriminate brutality he saw there. He’ll also talk about his childhood in Soviet East Germany, covering the early days of COVID-19 near its epicenter in China and spending a week in a Japanese jail. Countries featured: Germany, UK, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, China Publications featured: Reuters Here are links to...

2022-09-041h 44

Foreign Correspondence Neil Munshi - West Africa - BloombergTurns out Russian mercenaries stand ready to troll journalists and produce big-budget action movies in war-torn African countries. Neil Munshi, West Africa Editor now for Bloomberg, went to the Central African Republic to report on that mercenary group, while writing an award-winning series of stories seeking to explain the conflicts raging in most of the countries in the region. Countries featured: Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Mali, India, USA, Nepal Publications featured: GQ, Times of India, GQ India, Financial Times, Bloomberg Here are links to some of the things we ta...

2022-08-141h 35

Foreign Correspondence *Bonus* Jon Lee Anderson on Latin America and The New YorkerIn this additional bonus content, Jon Lee Anderson talks about what has gone wrong with democracy in Latin America and discusses what it's like to work for the hallowed magazine The New Yorker. Jon Lee's story about Chilean President - https://bit.ly/3ukSKE5 Follow us on Twitter @foreignpod or on Facebook at facebook.com/foreignpod Music: LoveChances (makaih.com) by Makaih Beats From: freemusicarchive.org CC BY NC

2022-07-0423 min

Foreign Correspondence Jon Lee Anderson - The New YorkerHave Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama read your book? Jon Lee Anderson of The New Yorker can say that they have. Jon Lee tells us about his early years chronicling rebel groups and insurgents from Latin America to Asia, culminating in writing a book about the quintessential guerrilla Che Guavara. Working for The New Yorker, he has gotten to know many world leaders more intimately than most any living journalist. Countries featured: Peru, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia Publications featured: Time magazine, New York Times, New Yorker

2022-07-031h 33

Foreign Correspondence Ian Urbina - The Outlaw Ocean ProjectThe open ocean is about as foreign as it gets. No country can claim it. And as a result, a whole lot of bad stuff happens there. Ian Urbina (@ian_urbina) talks about his series of stories for The New York Times about lawlessness at sea, that later became a book and now a non-profit journalism initiative called The Outlaw Ocean Project. Urbina will also talk about how his stories were made into two Hollywood movies and how he was part of a team that won a Pulitzer for reporting on the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. Countries...

2022-06-0557 min

Foreign Correspondence Julie McCarthy - Southeast Asia - NPRHistory matters to Julie McCarthy (@JulieMcCarthyJM). She’s gone around the world with National Public Radio to Tokyo, London, Rio de Janeiro, Jerusalem, Islamabad, New Delhi and Manila, trying to understand each place through its history. Her reporting brings to life events like the Hiroshima bombing and the partition of India, explaining how they continue to reverberate today. Most recently she’s served in Manila and the U.S. as NPR’s Southeast Asia Correspondent. Countries featured: The Philippines, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Japan, Israel, UK Publications featured: National Public Radio Here are lin...

2022-05-011h 03

Foreign Correspondence Lucinda Elliott - Financial Times - UruguayLittle Uruguay, we don’t hear from many correspondents based there. Lucinda Elliott (@lucinda_elliott) - who covers South America's Southern Cone of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for the Financial Times - tells us how she ended up there in the middle of the pandemic. That’s just one way Lucinda has come full circle, having also been laid off by the FT at the start of her career, only to return after freelancing in Venezuela and Brazil. Countries featured: UK, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, French Guiana Publications featured: Times of London, Monocle, Finan...

2022-04-031h 18

Foreign Correspondence Guga Chacra - Globo News - USAThe foreign country in this episode is the United States. Guga Chacra, a Brazilian journalist based in New York City, is one of the most recognizable faces of Brazilian TV news. With his signature shaggy hair and a legion of Twitter followers, he is known for his work with Globo TV, the 24 hour news channel Globo News, his column for newspaper O Globo and his radio show on CBN. Before he was a one-man media empire, Guga was a newspaper reporter covering the Middle East, Haiti and Argentina. Countries featured: Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, USA, Brazil...

2022-03-061h 20

Foreign Correspondence Evan Hill - Middle East - New York TimesReporting the Arab Spring is the story of a lifetime. Evan Hill (@evanhill) tells us how a blog got him hired by Al Jazeera in the Middle East where he was sent to cover the Arab Spring, witnessing the Egyptian Revolution first hand from Tahrir Square. He discusses almost quitting journalism, only to later join the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times visual investigations team. Countries featured: Qatar, Egypt, Libya, Syria, USA Publications featured: Al Jazeera English, The Times of London, The New York Times Evan discusses starting a blog that gets him hired...

2022-02-061h 39

Foreign Correspondence Stephen Gibbs - Venezuela - The Times/Economist/CGTNWhat drew so much media attention to Venezuela only a few years ago and why has it fizzled out? Stephen Gibbs (@STHGIbbs), a freelancer based in Caracas, tells us about covering the unrest and his encounters with Hugo Chavez and Maduro. As a former longtime BBC correspondent, Gibbs also talks about covering Cuba - including Castro revealing his relationship with Ernest Hemingway and a chance meeting with a rogue CIA agent. Countries featured: United Kingdom, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, Venezuela Publications featured: BBC, The Times (of London), The Economist, CGTN Stephen discusses getting...

2022-01-021h 23

Foreign Correspondence James Griffiths - China - The Globe and MailWriting a book isn’t easy, but James Griffiths (@jgriffiths) of Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail sure makes it look that way. Griffiths talks about getting his start in journalism in Shanghai and Hong Kong just as the Chinese government was ratcheting up censorship of the internet. That became the subject of his first book, which he wrote while also covering years of protests in Hong Kong. He also discusses his new book on efforts to preserve minority languages, like Hawaiian and Welsh. Countries featured: China, Wales, USA Publications featured: CNN, South China Morning Po...

2021-12-051h 20

Foreign Correspondence *Bonus* Mitch Moxley on the business of magazine writingMitch Moxley (@mitch_moxley) talks about the world of book writing, agents and getting your magazine stories optioned by Hollywood. Here are links to some of the things we talked about: Mitch's Rent a White Guy story for The Atlantic - https://bit.ly/39YlbwO His book Apologies to My Censors - https://amzn.to/3B64BqR His true crime story Knives Outback - https://bit.ly/3opBATu Follow us on Twitter @foreignpod or on Facebook at facebook.com/foreignpod Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.ne...

2021-10-2440 min

Foreign Correspondence Mitch Moxley - Magazines - NYC/ChinaGoing viral. North Korea. Anthony Bourdain. Beijing Olympics. Long-form magazine journalism. Narrative non-fiction. Stage plays. Executive editor at Maxim. Mitch Moxley has done a lot of stuff. As a magazine editor and freelance writer, previously in China and now in New York City, Mitch tells us about his careers highs and disappointments, as well as the brutal realities of being a freelancer. Countries featured: Canada, China, North Korea, USA Publications featured: GQ, China Daily, Truly Adventurous, The Atlantic, Maxim, Penta Here are links to some of the things we talked about:

2021-10-101h 44

Foreign Correspondence Sue-Lin Wong - The Economist - ChinaThe journalist’s holy trinity: the right time, the right place, the right beat. You’re lucky if you find it once in your career. Sue-Lin Wong (@suelinwong) tells how she thinks she hit it in the Hong Kong protests in 2019. Now working as a China correspondent for The Economist based in Hong Kong, she also has the unusual distinction of having been based in Shenzhen for years. Countries featured: China, North Korea, Australia Publications featured: Reuters, Financial Times, Economist Sue-Lin discusses taking a gap year to teach English at a sketchy school in C...

2021-09-261h 32

Foreign Correspondence Jamie McGeever - Reuters - Financial MarketsFinancial journalists don’t get the respect they deserve. Scottish journalist Jamie McGeever (@ReutersJamie) has traveled the world covering financial markets, including NYC, London, Madrid and all over Brazil and Europe. His work at Reuters put him at the center of the chaos of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Also discussed: bullfighting, Celtic football and the most charming world leaders. Countries featured: Brazil, Scotland, England, Spain, USA Publications featured: Dow Jones, Reuters Jamie discusses moving from his native Scotland to Brazil to teach English out of university (5:53), bullfighting and Ernest Hemingway (8:28), being thrown in th...

2021-09-121h 24

Foreign Correspondence *Bonus* NYT‘s Abdi Latif Dahir talks about Rwanda and MogadishuAbdi Latif Dahir, The New York Times' East Africa Correspondent, talks more in-depth about his coverage of Rwanda and shares a special moment reporting in Mogadishu. This is a bonus content from FoCo's interview with Abdi. For the full interview, please check out episode 54. Note: Apologies that this is not the usually scheduled full episode that I normally release twice monthly. I will return to our normal programming in a couple of weeks. Here are links to some of the things we talked about: Abdi's jail house interview with Paul Rusesabagina - https...

2021-08-2925 min

Foreign Correspondence Emily Green - Mexico - ViceThe long road to a Pulitzer. Now a Mexico-based reporter for Vice, Emily Green (@emilytgreen) has had a couple career booms and busts. The WSJ job that doesn't pan out leads her into radio reporting. The pandemic leads her to flee Mexico. But you never know, maybe you'll be sitting in your childhood bedroom and feeling sorry for yourself, when you get that call about the big award. Countries featured: Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Philippines, USA Publications featured: NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, PRI’s The World, The Daily Beast, Vice News ...

2021-08-151h 10

Foreign Correspondence Abdi Latif Dahir - Kenya - The New York TimesChildhood journals lead to journalism. Abdi Latif Dahir (@Lattif) started journaling as a way to process the violence around him when, at 8 years old, his family returned to Somalia from Kenya. He tells us how that experience influences his reporting on conflicts as East Africa Correspondent for The New York Times. He also talks about his reporting on the recent arrest of the man portrayed in Hotel Rwanda, as well as his passion for running. Countries featured: Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, USA Publications featured: Quartz, UPI, The Daily Nation, The New York Times

2021-08-011h 33

Foreign Correspondence Bryan Curtis - The Ringer - Sports/CultureAn Editor-at-Large is not someone who is wanted for arrest by the police for crimes against journalism. Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) fills us in on what it means to be an Editor-at-Large for The Ringer, which includes hosting the popular media analysis podcast The Press Box. Countries featured: USA Publications featured: Nightline, The New Republic, Slate, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, Grantland, The Ringer Bryan discusses how he started writing about sports in middle school upon realizing he’d never be a pro athlete (5:40), early internships at Nightline and The New Republic pl...

2021-07-181h 20

Foreign Correspondence Patrick St Michel - Music/Culture - TokyoPatrick St. Michel (@mbmelodies) isn’t a professional foreigner, he just plays one on TV. As a freelance music and pop culture journalist, Patrick will take us inside the world of J Pop, K Pop, Japanese baseball and convenience store food. And yes, he’s willing to go see your band play in Thailand on less than 24 hours notice. Countries featured: Japan, USA, Thailand, South Korea Publications featured: The Japan Times, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Make Believe Melodies Patrick discusses growing up in a town with more horses than people (6:13), founding the publication North by No...

2021-07-041h 30

Foreign Correspondence Graham Earnshaw - China - Publisher"Welcome to China, where nothing is allowed but everything is possible." Independent publisher Graham Earnshaw helped launch the careers of a generation of China journalists by giving them jobs at Reuters, Xinhua Finance or his own magazine China Economic Review. Working for Graham, host Jake Spring remembers a man surrounded in a mythology of old China adventures from earlier in his career. Now, Graham lays out on-the-record some of his wildest stories as one of the first Western journalists allowed into China as it opened up in 1979. Countries featured: UK, Australia, China, Japan Publications featured: R...

2021-06-201h 25

Foreign Correspondence Spotlight on the movie Spotlight - 50th episode special"A love letter to journalists." A fitting description for the film Spotlight and possibly this podcast. For our 50th episode, we look back at the 2015 movie and hear views on the movie from eight past guests. Guests in order of appearance: Ep. 3 - Camilla Costa, BBC, London (@_camillacosta) Ep. 9 - Brian Rosenthal, New York Times, New York (@brianmrosenthal) Ep. 20 - Terrence Edwards, Bloomberg, Mongolia (@TerryReports) Ep. 21 - Paul Schrodt, Freelance, Los Angeles (@paulschrodt) Ep. 22 - Megha Rajagopalan, BuzzFeed News, London (@meghara) Ep. 24 - Aa...

2021-06-0631 min

Foreign Correspondence Rhett Butler - Mongabay - Founder/EICReporting in jungles isn't for the faint of heart. Rhett Butler, founder and editor-in-chief of environmental news website Mongabay, talks about getting stranded in a dangerous situation in Suriname, the many jungle diseases he has gotten, and some tips for getting phone signal in the rainforest. He also tells us the origins of Mongabay go back to books he started writing as a teenager and ended with an empire of sites in a dozen different languages. Countries featured: Madagascar, Indonesia, Brazil, Suriname, Ecuador, USA Publications featured: Mongabay Rhett discusses his fascination with animals...

2021-05-231h 13

Foreign Correspondence *Bonus* Alison Willmore talks about film criticismYes, sometimes film critics hurt people’s feelings. Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore) will get into the nitty gritty of what it’s like to work as a critic from the demise of newspapers and the rise of the freelance critic to how New York mag has diversified its stable of critics. Follow us on Twitter @foreignpod or on Facebook at facebook.com/foreignpod Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.net) by Makaih Beats From: freemusicarchive.org CC BY NC

2021-05-1026 min

Foreign Correspondence Alison Willmore - Film Critic - New York magazine/VultureZooming with Chloé Zhao - what could better typify the pandemic era? Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore) takes us inside how she did her recent cover story for New York magazine about Zhao. We also hear about what it’s like to be a critic - from panning the remake of Mulan to championing foreign movies that get much less attention in the United States Countries featured: USA, UK Publications featured: IFC, IndieWire, BuzzFeed News, New York magazine, Vulture Alison discusses growing up in the Bay Area with a Singaporean-Chinese mom and British dad (8:22), using Cra...

2021-05-091h 15

Foreign Correspondence Gerry Shih - Taipei, Taiwan - Washington PostThe podcast tradition of foreign correspondents getting ejected from countries continues. For Gerry Shih, China Correspondent for the Washington Post, there was the added twist of getting kicked out during a global pandemic. On the eve of his reassignment as WaPo’s India bureau chief, Gerry looks back at his time covering China, which he is convinced is now a bigger story than ever. Countries featured: China, Tajikistan, USA, Mongolia Publications featured: Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post, New York Times Gerry discusses his childhood between California, China and Illinois (6:35), a wakeup call to th...

2021-04-251h 19

Foreign Correspondence Serena Dai - San Francisco Chronicle - FoodWhat do bagels and sexual harassment have in common? The food industry! Serena Dai (@ssdai), a senior features editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, has made her name by thinking and writing about all things food - emphasis on ALL THINGS - from the hilarious/inconsequential to the direly serious issues of sexual misconduct and racism. A local journalist in a previous life, she explains how food journalism is not so different considering you usually only eat the food immediately around you. Countries featured: USA Publications featured: Eater, DNAinfo, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, NU...

2021-04-111h 30

Foreign Correspondence Fabiano Maisonnave - The Amazon - Folha de São PauloDeep in the jungle, Fabiano Maisonnave finds amazing stories to tell. He is the only correspondent for a major Brazilian newspaper to be based in the Amazon rainforest region. Long before he reported on remote Amazon tribes, Fabiano tells us about leaving his first assignment in farm country over death threats. He then sets off on a long period as a foreign correspondent, covering Latin America from all over the region, and later becoming Folha’s correspondent in Beijing. Countries featured: Brazil, Venezuela, Honduras, China Publications featured: Folha de S.Paulo Fabiano discusses gro...

2021-03-281h 14

Foreign Correspondence Morgan Childs - Czech Republic - Foreign Insiders podcastPrague, come for the theater, stay for the podcasting. Morgan Childs, co-host and producer of the Foreign Insiders podcast, tells us about getting her start reporting stories on food and “weird” Eastern Europe. She has now found a new professional life as an audio journalist, launching her podcast series on migration in the Czech Republic. Countries featured: USA, Poland, Ukraine, Liberland, Czech Republic Publications featured: Saveur, BBC, GQ, Lucky Peach, Vice Morgan discusses how her theater studies took her to the Czech Republic for the first time (7:17), getting started as a freelancer by tell...

2021-03-141h 17

Foreign Correspondence Jane Arraf - Iraq - New York TimesJane Arraf (@janearraf) didn’t go seeking war, war came to her. She first moved to Iraq in 1997 under Saddam Hussein and was kicked out twice before returning when the U.S. invaded. She also bore witness to the carnage in Mosul in the wake of ISIS. Her reporting on conflict stands out for its humanity, vibrancy and - when possible - hope. She is now the Baghdad bureau chief of The New York Times. Countries featured: Canada, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt Publications featured: NPR, CNN, Reuters, New York Times Jane discusses growing up...

2021-02-281h 15

Foreign Correspondence Scott Gurian - Far from Home - New YorkRemember traveling? While you’re stuck inside in the pandemic, you can still travel far and wide thanks to the Far from Home podcast by public radio veteran Scott Gurian. Scott takes you along for the ride on one of the world’s epic road trips from London to Mongolia and back across the deserts of Iran and mountains of central Asia. The Peabody award winner talks about how a not-so-adventurous guy from New Jersey came to document that trip and others. Countries featured: Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Mexico, USA Publications featured: NPR, WNYC, Planet Mone...

2021-02-141h 25

Foreign Correspondence *Bonus* Sarah Maslin talks about The EconomistSarah Esther Maslin explains what it's like to work at the Economist including the lack of bylines, its distinctive voice and viewpoint, and an unusual time when she broke some news. Sarah’s story about the Amazon rainforest - http://econ.st/3oCdC3I Her story about the Honduras election - http://econ.st/3tbOXGL

2021-02-0113 min

Foreign Correspondence Sarah Maslin - São Paulo - The EconomistWe go deep on a history of Central American violence with Sarah Esther Maslin (@sarahmaslin). She discusses the years she’s spent reporting out a prospective book about Latin America’s largest modern massacre in El Salvador, stemming from her lifelong fascination with violent tragedies and the marks they leave on society. That project led her to freelance journalism and ultimately to Brazil with The Economist. Countries featured: Brazil, El Salvador, Argentina Publications featured: Washington Post, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Economist Sarah discusses growing up in California and Wisconsin (8:20), her first journalism experiences at Y...

2021-01-311h 21

Foreign Correspondence Charles Maynes - Moscow - Radio ProducerIt turns out there’s a lot more to Russia than just Putin and election meddling. Sure, we talk about that, but independent radio producer Charles Maynes in Moscow tells us tales of Russian culture from the early Soviet era to present. While he may not always think of himself as a journalist, that may be what makes his journalism work so great. Also, in a first for the podcast, we hear a poetry reading. Publications featured: Voice of America, NPR, 99% Invisible, Radiotopia Countries featured: Russia, USA Charles discusses his affinity for the Mid...

2021-01-171h 19

Foreign Correspondence Tim Cato - The Athletic - Dallas, USAWe prowl the halls of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team in the capable hands of Tim Cato (@tim_cato), a staff writer with The Athletic. Tim got into sports reporting as a 17-year-old fan, but now he’s seen too much and the fandom has melted away. Still, he loves his job reporting on the huge characters, power dynamics and colorful feature stories the NBA has to provide - even finding what’s interesting about banal sports cliches and taking a trip to Slovenia. Publications featured: SB Nation, Mavs Moneyball, The Athletic Countries featured: USA, Slov...

2020-11-291h 18

Foreign Correspondence Joanna Kakissis - Greece - NPROde to a Grecian journ(alist). Family looms large in this episode with Joanna Kakissis (@joannakakissis), a correspondent in Athens for National Public Radio, whose Greek parents instilled in her the importance of their culture from a young age. She made a mark early in her career as part of a Pulitzer finalist newspaper reporting team before returning to her roots in Greece where she has reported for more than a decade. Countries featured: Turkey, USA, Greece Publications featured: The News & Observer, Boston Globe, Time magazine, The New York Times, NPR Joanna discusses...

2020-11-151h 19

Foreign Correspondence Fariba Nawa - Turkey - On Spec podcastAs a journalist, who you are matters. Freelance journalist Fariba Nawa (@faribanawa) tells how she learned this the hard way. But her identity, that early in her career may have hindered her, has turned into a strength. She has gone from refugee to a reporter who covers refugees. She is an Afghan American proud of her heritage who also struggles with its deep patriarchy. Now setting her sights on podcasting, she discusses launching On Spec podcast that seeks to lift up less-heard global stories. Countries featured: Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, USA, Turkey Publications featured: AFP, New...

2020-11-011h 29

Foreign Correspondence Libby Nelson - Deputy Policy Editor - VoxA very special election episode! Libby Nelson (@libbyanelson) talks to us about how she is approaching U.S. presidential election coverage as Senior Deputy Policy Editor at Vox. As you may well have guessed, covering this election has turned out to be very different than we could have predicted. Libby also talks about how she came to work for journalism startups, becoming one of Vox’s first few employees when the website was still just an idea. Countries featured: USA Publications featured: The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The Scr...

2020-10-181h 28

Foreign Correspondence Jonah M. Kessel - New York Times - *Bonus Content*What’s this? There’s more? We talk in-depth about his job helping shape the visual language of The New York Times and his approach to video journalism, as well as an offbeat story set in North Korea that never quite happened. Countries featured: North Korea, USA Jonah's short doc about zoonotic diseases - https://nyti.ms/2F0fOkS Follow us on Twitter @foreignpod or on Facebook at facebook.com/foreignpod Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.net) by Makaih Beats From: freemusicarchive.org CC BY NC

2020-10-0533 min

Foreign Correspondence Jonah M. Kessel - Director of Cinematography - New York TimesGen X photo bum finds journalism, makes good. Well, ok, there’s about 15 more steps in the middle that leaves out. And like 60+ countries. Jonah Kessel (@jonah_kessel) is proof that the right camera can change someone’s life. Now at The New York Times, he is constantly trying to push the limits of what video and visuals can do, even when those limits are the visible spectrum of light. Countries featured: China, USA, Algeria, Hong Kong Publications featured: Burlington Free Press, Tahoe Daily Tribune, La Voix de l'Oranie, Sawt Al Gharb ( صوت الغرب ), China Daily, The New York Time...

2020-10-041h 29

Foreign Correspondence Lucia Newman - Chile - Al JazeeraA love story between Cuban spies. Jungle warfare in Central America. A military coup in Chile. A roller coaster relationship with Fidel Castro. Lucia Newman, Latin America Editor and a Senior Correspondent in Chile for Al Jazeera English, has seen and reported on it all over several decades covering the region, dodging more than a few bullets along the way. Countries featured: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, USA, Australia, Haiti Publications featured: CNN, Al Jazeera Lucia discusses how she covers all of Latin America during the pandemic (3:02), her childhood with a...

2020-09-201h 24

Foreign Correspondence Atish Patel - New Delhi - AFPWhat do you do when there's a pandemic on, but you are a video journalist with no choice but to go out to capture the images you need? Atish Patel (@atishpatel, Insta: atishp) a videographer for Agence France-Presse discusses the calculations he makes when deciding whether to go out. He also talks about how being fired helped him to change his perspective and have more fun with his job. Countries featured: India, UK, Russia, Rwanda Publications featured: RT, Reuters, AFP, AP, Wall Street Journal Atish discusses going into a hospital ICU to report...

2020-09-061h 09

Foreign Correspondence Ryan Lenora Brown - South Africa - Christian Science MonitorWhat insanity inspires 20,000 normal people to run 56 miles (90 kilometers) every year in South Africa? Ryan Lenora Brown (@ryanlenorabrown) tells us how Apartheid helped make this race a phenomenon. She talks about trying to tell stories that don’t revert to stereotypes of Africa, even as we ponder the ethics of white foreigners reporting on South Africa or Latin America. Countries featured: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo Publications featured: Runner’s World, Christian Science Monitor Ryan discusses venturing out for a story during the pandemic (4:57), how journalism helped her conquer her shyness (8:11), how the...

2020-08-231h 20

Foreign Correspondence Bopha Phorn - Cambodia - Voice of America KhmerBopha Phorn (@bophaphorn) tells of hunting down a Russian pedophile and fearing for her life as she reported on deforestation in Cambodia. The International Women’s Media Foundation has honored her brave reporting with its Courage in Journalism Award. Bopha now reports for Voice of America’s Khmer language edition, a rare source of unrestricted news as Cambodia increasingly stifles press freedoms. Countries featured: Cambodia, USA Publications featured: Cambodia Daily, Asian Correspondent, Associated Press, ABC News, Voice of America, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) Bopha discusses how seeing a movie at a pagoda as a chil...

2020-08-091h 16

Foreign Correspondence Ismail Ferdous - New York - National GeographicThe Feel Good Episode of the Year! Bangladeshi photographer Ismail Ferdous (IG: ismailferdous) went from borrowing money to pay for a camera to his first paid project being published in the New Yorker. He lays out his philosophy of seeking the work that speaks to him and working on personal projects without thinking of where it will be published. Now a freelancer in New York City, he’s been published in a slew of big name publications and regularly works for National Geographic. We also discuss his experience with catching COVID-19. Countries featured: Bangladesh, Syria, Turkey, United St...

2020-07-261h 17

Foreign Correspondence Anthony Boadle - Brasilia - ReutersFrom covering covert arms deals under Chilean dictator Pinochet to seven-hour speeches by Fidel Castro, Anthony Boadle (@AnthonyBoadle) has written the first draft of Latin America’s history over recent decades. Not without risk - he’s been kicked out of a country (but allowed back), had his apartment broken into (likely by state security) and is familiar with being followed by government handlers. Now Reuters chief political correspondent for Brazil, he follows the wild ride of right-wing Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. Countries featured: Argentina, UK, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Canada, USA, Cuba Publications featured: UPI, Reuters...

2020-07-121h 19

Foreign Correspondence Tomi Oladipo - Germany - DW NewsRoving the African continent to report the bloodiest conflicts is a far cry from being a polished news anchor, sitting behind a desk. Tomi Oladipo (@Tomi_Oladipo) has shown incredible range in his career working for the BBC for 12 years in Africa before becoming a news presenter for German broadcaster DW News in Berlin. Tomi discusses the toll of continually reporting on violence and reflects back on how he feels about many of those stories now. Countries featured: Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, UK, Sudan Publications featured: BBC, DW News Tomi discusses working during coronavirus...

2020-06-281h 09

Foreign Correspondence Ed Clowes - London - The TelegraphSometimes you have to get fired again and again (and again) to figure out your place in the world. Ed Clowes’ (@edclowes) story is not your common journalistic tale. Kids, don’t try this one at home. He gets fired for increasingly noble reasons though, ultimately getting kicked out of the city-state of Dubai. Be warned, despite the title of this episode, it is more about the Middle East than London. Ed discusses bumbling his way through a series of London jobs (4:57), moving to Dubai for a magazine sales job but getting into the journalism side (6:43), getting fire...

2020-06-141h 23

Foreign Correspondence Laurel Chor - Hong Kong - FreelanceAfter public health got too depressing and following gorillas through the jungle proved monotonous, Laurel Chor (@laurelchor) turned to journalism. She quickly made a name for herself covering at civil unrest in Hong Kong, also doing a couple years' stretch working for the Vice News Tonight television show on HBO. She discusses her circuitous path in the industry that has taken her around the world and how after working in every medium she is increasingly focusing on photojournalism. Laurel talks about hanging with the apes (8:24), getting her start at offbeat publication Coconuts in Hong Kong covering protests (16:26...

2020-05-311h 06

Foreign Correspondence Megan Crepeau - Chicago - Chicago TribuneHow do you cover violence in a thoughtful way? Megan Crepeau (@crepeau) had plenty of time to chew that question over working the overnight beat at The Chicago Tribune, trawling the city with police scanners and looking for news. Now she brings that perspective to covering Chicago’s main criminal court, one of the busiest in the United States. Megan talks about how the coronavirus outbreak is upending business as usual at the court and the associated jail (5:50), growing up in small town Idaho (11:45), Northwestern journalism school and early struggles with confidence (18:00), getting her foot in the do...

2020-05-171h 17

Foreign Correspondence Aarti Betigeri - Australia - FreelanceAarti Betigeri (@pomegranitaa) takes us from Australia to India and back again, touching on some new publications like Monocle magazine and geographies like Sri Lanka along the way. She also keeps it real about the struggles of working in a media landscape dominated by Murdoch and seeking more rights for Australian freelance journalists. We also talk about her experience through the Australian bushfires. Aarti discusses getting into broadcast journalism out of university and becoming a TV presenter (8:00), leaving that behind to move to India as a freelancer (12:07), working for Monocle magazine (21:04), moving back to Australia and the...

2020-05-031h 12

Foreign Correspondence Pete Sweeney - Hong Kong - BreakingviewsThe world of Chinese high finance is actually way more stupid and ridiculous than you probably realize. Seriously, sometimes millions or billions of dollars change hands for relatively stupid reasons like, delivery coffee + China, what’s the worst that could go wrong? Pete Sweeney (@petesweeneypro), an opinion columnist for Reuters Breakingviews, gives us a crash course. Also discussed: You might think that journalists report just about everything, but there are many stories that don’t get reported, especially in China. Pete discusses the strange corner of the world he lives in (2:06), leaving the U.S. to start a be...

2020-04-191h 15

Foreign Correspondence Megha Rajagopalan - London - BuzzfeedMegha Rajagopalan (@meghara) brings top-notch investigative journalism to Buzzfeed - yes, the site that rose to prominence based on listicles. She installed Buzzfeed’s first bureau in Beijing, only to be kicked out of the country after revealing the depths of China’s police state. Reporting on surveillance and human rights has been the hallmark of her career, from writing about Myanmar’s opening up to following around Filipino police officers committing atrocities. We talk about the questionable endeavor that is pursuing a journalism degree (5:08), cutting her teeth covering politics for Reuters in Beijing (14:22), starting Buzzfeed’s bureau i...

2020-04-051h 17

Foreign Correspondence Paul Schrodt - Los Angeles - Freelance"If you think it’s just fun, you’ve never interviewed Mick Jagger because that motherfucker will rip you into shreds." Freelance journalist Paul Schrodt (@paulschrodt) takes the podcast to a very different place, telling us what it’s like to report on the business of entertainment. He also got into digital journalism at a time when it was still the wild west but just starting to overtake print journalism, providing a window into that fascinating time. Note: This is a special extended episode in light of coronavirus. We talk about his transformation from "spacey kid" t...

2020-03-221h 33

Foreign Correspondence Terrence Edwards - Mongolia - BloombergTerrence Edwards (@TerryReports) has gone deep on Mongolia. Moving there with the Peace Corps, he’s been in the country for more than a decade, braving 30 below temperatures in a yurt (ger) and runaway horses. He is Bloomberg’s point man for coordinating with Bloomberg TV Mongolia, a local affiliate in Mongolian languages, and does work for Bloomberg across all formats from serious text reporting on mines and politics to hilarious viral videos. He talks about growing up in Long Island (9:52), making his own DIY journalism major and pursuing internships (14:34), his time in the Peace Corps showering only...

2020-03-081h 05

Foreign Correspondence Stuart Lau - Brussels - South China Morning PostStuart Lau (@stuartlauscmp) weaves his personal narrative together with the story of Hong Kong seamlessly. He touches on his beginnings in journalism that coincided with the first protests there since Tiananmen, pursuing a key official in the HK handover from the UK to China decades later, his inability as a Hong Konger to become a diplomat (much to the benefit of of the journalism industry), and much more. He also takes us to Cuba and Brussels but always with a bit of HK and China looming in the background. He talks about growing up the son of a...

2020-02-231h 21

Foreign Correspondence Diksha Madhok - India - QuartzWhich path to take, editor or reporter? It’s a choice many journalists have to make at some point. Quartz India Editor Diksha Madhok (@dikshamadhok) tells us how she went from exercising influence through individual stories on issues like women in Indian society to shaping whole newsrooms and publications. We discuss growing up in India and not becoming an engineer (3:47), going to Columbia j-school (9:18), her time with Reuters (13:10), joining Quartz and becoming an editor (18:11), being an editor vs being a reporter (24:00), her story about why few highly educated Indian women stay in the workforce (32:58), another story on In...

2020-02-0956 min

Foreign Correspondence Jonathan Watts - London - The GuardianA 20+ year career as a foreign correspondent in Japan, Brazil and China has given Jonathan time to reflect on the great responsibility and privilege of the job, but also the preposterousness of being tasked with summing up another country. Speaking to us while on sabbatical in the Amazon rainforest, Jonathan tells how he came to realize that the environment is the most important issue of our time and how that lead him to his current job as Global Environment Editor for The Guardian in London. We talk about where he is in the Amazon (5:22), how he is...

2020-01-261h 24

Foreign Correspondence Lynsey Chutel - South Africa - Freelance (ex-Quartz, ex-AP)Should correspondents abroad for international publications like Associated Press, Reuters, NYT, etc be foreigners or locals? Lynsey Chutel (@lynseychutel), a South African journalist who has been a staff reporter for Associated Press and startup website Quartz, can see both sides of the argument. But she also shares her frustration at a two-tiered system within many organizations that at its worst gives foreign parachute journalists massive benefits packages while reducing locals to stringers or fixers with no clear route to advance. We talk about growing up under apartheid (6:30), her first steps into journalism (12:23), how applying to Columbia journalism...

2020-01-121h 17

Foreign Correspondence Kit Gillet - Romania - FreelanceEver wonder about the right formula for being an international freelancer? Kit Gillet (@kitgillet), a freelancer for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Economist and any number of magazines and newspapers, seems to have figured it out. He has reported from more countries than just about any other journalist I know, freelancing for the last eight years first in China and then in Romania. A willingness to go places where few other journalists go is certainly a key element to international freelance success as well as talent, ambition and maybe a bit of naivety. We talk...

2019-12-011h 09

Foreign Correspondence Janet Morgan - South Carolina - Myrtle Beach HeraldMan this is an American episode. There is cocaine, the military, refugees, the decline of the American newsroom, a one-room school house, steel mills, the list goes on. Lots of laughs too. I talked to Janet Morgan, editor of the Myrtle Beach Herald, a weekly newspaper in South Carolina. Janet has won copious awards for her photography and likes to spend a long time following her subjects. She walks us through a couple of those projects and her winding career through local newspapers. We discuss her childhood in South Carolina (2:45), picking up photojournalism in college as a w...

2019-11-171h 05

Foreign Correspondence Hélène Franchineau - Turkey - FreelanceCapturing the perfect moment is essential for visual journalists. For two stories by Hélène Franchineau (instagram: @helene_fr), the critical images were moments of reunion. First, she tells the odyssey of Chinese migrant workers going home for Chinese New Year, the only chance to see their children and family each year. And then the story of a Uyghur man jailed in Turkey, likely under pressure from China. Hélène is a freelancer visual journalist based in Turkey but takes us through France, China and Africa. Her penchant for running marathons in unusual, and possibly dangerous, places is al...

2019-11-031h 10

Foreign Correspondence Bruce Douglas - Brasilia - BloombergYou've been reporting on Brazil for about six years and an old source gets in touch. The preacher tells you how bad things have gotten since the last time you saw him years back, when things were already stalling out for what was once billed as an oil boom town. A militia had taken over their small town, and people are disappearing. What do you do? Well, if your Bruce Douglas (@bruceecurb), you report the hell out of it. Bruce, an editor for Bloomberg in Brasilia, dusted off his reporting hat and got to the bottom of it. It's...

2019-10-201h 07

Foreign Correspondence Charlotte Greenfield - New Zealand - ReutersWhat was it like reporting on the Christchurch mosque attack? Charlotte Greenfield tells us how it felt to be there as someone from New Zealand and takes us inside her story examining how such an attack could happen. We also talk about her story from when she did a stint in Afghanistan on how US peace talks with the Taliban could be marginalizing Afghan women. We talk about growing up in Wellington with a journalist step-father (3:55), studying law and journalism despite having no intention of becoming a lawyer (10:23), founding an NGO in Kenya (18:45) Columbia j-school (24:00), her start a...

2019-10-061h 15

Foreign Correspondence David Stout - Pakistan - AFP The Taliban has interns. David Stout a correspondent in Pakistan for Agence France Presse (AFP) looked into the communications apparatus of the Islamic fundamentalist group, only to find it operates much like any media organization, unpaid interns and all. We also discuss how after growing up in small town New Mexico, Dave pingponged around Asia before landing in more-idyllic-than-you’d-expect Islamabad. We talk about the situation in Kashmir (2:10), being raised in Hobbes, New Mexico (6:07), an early does of journalism rejection before finding his way in college (9:30), moving to Thailand/Vietnam and getting his start as a professional jo...

2019-09-221h 02

Foreign Correspondence Brian Rosenthal - New York - The New York TimesBrian Rosenthal (@brianmrosenthal) is proof that outstanding local journalism can get you places. *THE* place in fact - The New York Times. Brian walks us through the story that got him there, a bombshell of a report on how the state of Texas systematically denied special education to 250,000 children. That story was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and landed him at the Times. He's also the star of Episode 2 of Hulu/FX's The Weekly and he tells us how was first put onto that story. Hint: It involves Michael Cohen. He discusses growing up as a...

2019-09-081h 21

Foreign Correspondence Charlie Campbell - Shanghai/Asia - Time magazineStrap in for a hero's journey through the world of Indonesian terrorism. Charlie Campbell (@charliecamp6ell) of Time magazine walks us through the series of strange turns that took him to that took him to a prison, the Ivy League for Jihadists before landing an interview with the first female suicide bomber (she was not successful and therefor alive). Charlie takes us all over Asia as he walks us through his career. We discuss early days from family to his first taste of journalism in Buenos Aires (1:59), cutting his teeth in blue collar London journalism (10:44), moving to S...

2019-08-251h 13

Foreign Correspondence Koh Gui Qing - NYC/China/... - ReutersHave you ever wondered what it's like for a journalist to work with sensitive sources who could get fired or go to jail? We get right into that with our guest Koh Gui Qing (@GQReuters) of Reuters in New York. After Singapore, Australia and China, her latest turn as an investigative reporter in New York was set in motion by an unexpected tip off and is "the kind of story that makes you fall off your chair," as Gui Qing would say. Since then, Gui Qing has become the go-to person you call when you need to send a...

2019-08-1156 min

Foreign Correspondence Meredith Clark - New York - Patriot ActIs being a news producer on Netflix’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minahj technically journalism? Who cares, it’s pretty f***ing cool. Our guest Meredith Clark (@MeredithLClark) hails from the same hometown as our host and guides us from McFarland, Wisconsin through her lengthy list of credits as a journalist taking us to some parts of the industry we have not been: fact-checking at Rolling Stone, opinionated political journalism, MSNBC, refinery29, Glamour magazine and more. Oh and don’t worry, we do talk about Eurovision too. Here are links to some of the things we talk...

2019-07-281h 09

Foreign Correspondence Joseph Campbell - Beijing - Reuters Video NewsLet’s talk about goons baby, let’s talk about goons and me. Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things goons could be. Our guest this episode is Joseph Campbell (@detectivejoe88), a journalist for Reuters Video News in Beijing. Lugging around his camera to report the biggest news of the day, Joe has become an expert on the goons who seek (not very successfully) to intimidate him. But it’s not all serious. This is probably the most colorful interview to date: we discuss his features on dog cloning and people living in caves. W...

2019-07-141h 01

Foreign Correspondence Don Weinland - China - Financial TimesHermit state North Korea has to stay afloat somehow. As Financial Times reporter Don Weinland (@donweinland) found out, that means managing ships through Hong Kong. In this interview, we navigate the twists and turns that got Don from the deserts of Nevada to digging through shipping records for the UK’s premier financial newspaper. Unlike my first three guests who were journalists from early on, Don was a late comer to the industry. Bouncing around Asia for a decade, his story eventually takes us through four separate publications. We discuss growing up (4:30), going to China (13:52), his start in...

2019-06-301h 17

Foreign Correspondence Camilla Costa - London/Brazil - BBCCamilla Costa (@_camillacosta) is kind of a big deal. As a reporter for the BBC in Brazil, she broke the story of the Zika virus outbreak wide open. She's now just started as an data journalist for the BBC at the mothership in London, but has an extremely varied career before that. She's worked for Brazil's premier magazine and the top newspaper and had a streak of doing journalism for kids. We also discuss the cake scene from the movie Spotlight. Here are links to some of the other things we talked about: B...

2019-06-161h 11

Foreign Correspondence Paul Carsten - Nigeria - Reuters newsPaul Carsten (@paulcarsten) covers Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, for Reuters news agency from the capital city of Abuja. Hailing from the north of England, we talk about how he got to Oxford, Beijing and ultimately Abuja. Paul talks about a piece he did in the run-up to the Nigerian election on a grisly Islamic State massacre of dozens of people, contradicting a government statement that only three people had died. Since he's an old friend, there are also some goofs to lighten the mood. Any opinions expressed in this podcast are personal and do not reflect...

2019-06-021h 00

Foreign Correspondence Nomaan Merchant - Texas - Associated PressNomaan Merchant (@NomaanMerchant) covers immigration for the Associated Press in Houston, Texas. We discuss how he visited the Chicago Tribune in middle school, our shared experience as student journalists and how he ended up working for AP for a stint in China. He also walks us through his reporting a piece showing the human impact of an ICE immigration raid not just on those arrested but their families and the larger community they lived in. The piece was part of a package nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Here are links to some of the things w...

2019-05-071h 09