In the Line of Fire

When Rohit Gandhi, a foreign correspondent with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), was moving with his crew in a car in Kunduz in Northern Afghanistan in 2001, they heard a man shouting. When the car didn't stop, the man fired. Gandhi had a narrow escape, with the bullet just whizzing past him.

Such are the risks that a foreign correspondent has to often face.

Almost every assignment that Gandhi does comes with challenges, which involve learning the country's local language, looking for a fixer (a local who helps you build contacts) and understanding the country through books and the Internet. Every country also has problems peculiar to it. Julia Arevalo, south Asia bureau chief of EFE, a Spanish news agency, says it took her a long time to understand India.

"For any European journalist, covering India is very difficult. Getting official sources to talk is another bugbear. The person you contact will refer another number to you. Now this second person will give one more number, and finally you won't find any one on the last number you receive," she says.

Arevalo's problems were compounded by the fierce resistance of people while she moved around with a camera even if she had the requisite permission from authorities. "But you must learn to be flexible. You can't be driven by stiff habits. You have to adjust according to the new place. One simple rule is: ‘While in Rome, do as the Romans do'," she says.

In the past, she has successfully adapted to the societies of Russia and Yugoslavia, where, learning the local languages "was tough," she admits. "It took me one whole year of intensive study to pick up Russian. It's very important to learn about the country, its culture, and history to be able to report on it," she says.

To ward off personal and professional problems, a foreign correspondent ought to stay detached from the conflict s/he covers. "You should never become a part of the story," says Tinku Ray, south Asia news editor, BBC, New Delhi. She recalls a 2002 assignment during the Gujarat riots: "I met several Muslim kids who vowed that they would never make Hindu friends in their lives. Being a Hindu myself, I found it upsetting. But in the BBC, we are taught to be objective," says Ray.

One must be well qualified to become a foreign correspondent. But your growth and success depends primarily on your performance. "Your qualification only helps you find the first job. Later, what matters is your work and performance," says Jyoti Thottam, south Asia bureau chief, Time magazine, who is an alumna of Yale and Columbia University.