The Tools Of The Trade
Rajiv Chandrasekaran memorializes the late Anthony Shadid: “What made him unique was his gift with both languages. He could speak to the Iraqis like a native, and he could pen his stories like few others in American journalism.”
I will for obvious reasons always be the first to defend the practice of not reporting. But I’m slightly baffled that among the group of American journalists who are primarily in the reporting trade that language is so de-emphasized as a skill. If you’re going to make talking to people one of your go-to analytic moves, then actually being able to talk to them is a huge advantage!
