I have been reading the obituaries of the New Zealand war correspondent Kate Webb who died at the age of 64 at the weekend.
Kate made her name reporting from IndoChina in the 60's and the 70's ,especially the Vietnam conflict and was famously reported dead after being kidnapped by Cambodian insurgents in 1971.
What intrigues me were her reasons for a premature retirement
"Kate loved the speed and competition of wire services,
but she grew to hate the constant demands for updates, brought about by the
advent of mobile phones that can reach a reporter under fire. "It's like we're
all mosquitoes dancing on the surface of a pond. We have to move so fast that
reporting has suffered," she said. "It's nowhere as meticulous as it
was."(Guardian Obituary 15th April.)
I have been reading Robert Fisk's excellent book on the Middle East conflict reflecting on his 30 years reporting from the region.He writes of the thrill and excitement of trying to get reports back to his masters at the Times when in Kabul following the Soviet invasion in 1979.
You can re live the Times when information was scarce and the Daily dispatches from the foreign correspondent were the only communications from the war zones.
Perhaps Kate has a point.
1 comment:
I had never heard of Kate Webb until I read of her obituary just now. What a life she has had, and how strong within herself she must have been to survive her time in North Vietnam and her subsequent capture. I salute you Kate for your fortitude and strength and I wish I had just a fraction of your bravery. Well done Kate!
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