Anthony Shadid: A remembrance.

It has been more than two weeks since New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid passed away in Syria, but “Bearing Witness in Syria: A War Reporter’s Last Days,” was published just today by the photographer who was with him on his last trip across the border. Losing him seems to weigh heavily on his colleagues at the Times and throughout the field as evidenced by the scores of articles written about his exceptional reporting.

I have wanted to say something, to add to the stream of remembrances that have come from reporters and readers alike whom he inspired through his reporting but haven’t quite been able to find the words. Finally, here is my addition:

It would not be an exaggeration to say he is the reporter who most inspired me. What will always stick out in my mind – something that many others have written about as well – was his humility and sincere interest in all those around him. He came to speak at UW-Madison last year but made a special trip to the Daily Cardinal newsroom to sit down with our team. A Cardinal alum, he seemed to savor the experience of being back in our windowless basement home.

We pulled our chairs into a circle, and he became just another link in the chain. We asked how he had built his career and if he had any tips for up-and-coming journalists like us. This was the first time I had heard of him and his work overseas. But I found myself interested in what he had to say not only because he was covering such important issues – and taking pretty serious risks to do so – but because he spoke of his reporting not just as a career but rather a passion.

From the moment he started speaking, it was obvious he wasn’t there to throw his huge list of accomplishments in our faces. Instead, he took the time to hear and thoughtfully consider our questions about his career and our concerns about our own. He was personable and seemed to sincerely care about us and our work. I guess what I am trying to say is that even as a student journalist I felt noticed.

It was because of this interaction, his passion for reporting and ability to listen that I started following his work religiously and came to understand just how much he had contributed to the field of journalism.

If I learned anything from that hour spent with Anthony Shadid, it was that even when you’ve made it into the big time newsroom, sometimes the best way to build your audience is to be a good audience yourself.

He will be dearly missed.

Tips from a professional

Washington Post Reporter Dana Priest spoke Tuesday at UW-Madison about her experience reporting for more than two decades on the U.S.’s secret intelligence world.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Priest spoke both about overcoming challenges she faces as a journalist trying to get the story in a world based on secrets and mistakes she has made along the way. As a young reporter, it was inspiring and comforting to hear her stories in part because it’s so easy to think of professionals in the field as always knowing where to take the story and never, never, never making a mistake.

She talked about a time when she went to report on the experience of women in the military, spending weeks overseas with deployed units. Only as her time with the troops was coming to an end did she realize that her story was not so much in how women were treated but rather in the fact that they were serving on the front lines even though they were technically not allowed to do so.

Based on her experiences, she shared a number of tips she said had helped her throughout her career:

1. Listen. Take cues from all around you. Sometimes, she said, what someone isn’t saying or won’t say is more important than what they actually tell you.
2. Be open to changing the topic of your story. One of her main mistakes, she said, was not writing down everything because she was only looking for details to add to her original story idea. You never know where the facts will take you, so try to notice as many details as possible because these may actually be the story.
3. Bond. Get to know people in the new setting or new culture. Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re working toward a story in every conversation with someone, building these relationships may lead to stories and tips in the future.
4. Speak the language. Although as journalists we are supposed to break down the acronyms and jargon into everyday language, she said she has earned the respect of sources when she speaks their “language.”
5. Empathize. Try to understand where someone is coming from even if it is a controversial stance.
6. Warn. Let someone know if an unflattering article about them will be published on the front page. As she said, people don’t like bad press, but they hate being surprised even more.