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NABLUS, Occupied Palestinian Territories — Since graduating with a BA in journalism from American University Christopher Cottrell, a former student of the Foreign Correspondence course, has been working for an organization that promotes freedom of expression among students at An-Najah University. Students from the university are pictured in the photo above which was taken by Cottrell.

Click here to read more about his experiences.

WASHINGTON, DC — AU graduate and Germany-based economics reporter Bettina Meier takes time from a reporting trip in the United States to speak with Professor Bill Gentile’s Foreign Correspondence class. She stressed the importance of financial reporting. Read the full story here.
(Photos by Michael Lindley)

NEW DEHLI — Almost any night of the week, Barkha Dutt can be found under the harsh glare of television lights, asking tough questions and demanding frank answers. But last Tuesday Ms. Dutt, the most famous face of India’s explosively growing 24-hour cable news business, found herself the subject of the kind of grilling she normally metes out.
Read the article here.

NEW YORK — A fund and a Web site, Support Joao Silva Photojournalist, have been set up by Greg and Leonie Marinovich, friends of photographer Joao Silva [pictured above on assignment in Madagascar in 2009], to help him and his family as he goes through rehabilitation. Silva was wounded when he stepped on a landmine while on patrol with American soldiers in southern Afghanistan in late October. Money is being raised through outright donations and the sale of prints by Mr. Silva. “We have little doubt he will continue photographing but he will certainly not be able to go to war zones,” the Marinoviches said. “We estimate he will not be able to work for about two years.” Mr. Silva is at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The New York Times has told the Pentagon that it will be responsible for his treatment and care, and is assisting his family in other ways. Should the fund collect more money than is needed, the Marinoviches said, what is left will be donated to a charity chosen by Mr. Silva.
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WASHINGTON, DC, 10 October 2010 – I was pleased but not surprised. Not even when she dropped me e-mail messages or phoned from places like Kabul or Kashmir. I became accustomed to it. To her success, that is.

I knew Rebecca Byerly would be successful the first time I met her. She came to my office at American University’s School of Communication and told me she was going to be a foreign correspondent. I gave her advice and names of friends, colleagues, contacts to help bridge the gap between my office and the far-off places she wanted to visit.

In 2006, away she went. To Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, Cambodia, Libya, Kashmir. Mostly as a backpack journalist, she’s worked for National Geographic, CNN and Al Jazeera. She got grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, among others.

She returned to Washington recently and took time out to visit my “Photojournalism and Social Documentary” class. After her visit, I told my students there was one critical thing that distinguished her from them. That, as far as I knew, the students did not have it – at least not yet. And it’s this: At some point Rebecca had made the decision and the commitment to be a foreign correspondent. No matter how hard the work. No matter how deep the sacrifice. No matter how long the haul. That’s what she wanted. That’s what she was going after. And now, that’s what she’s got. She is a success.

To watch video clips of Rebecca’s visit to my class, go to my Vimeo account, Backpack Journalist. Or go to my YouTube account. (Photo by AU Student Rachel Ellis)

-- Bill Gentile
Founder/Director, Foreign Correspondence Network (FCN)