John Pomfret
John Pomfret
John Pomfretwas an English poet and clergyman...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
CountryUnited States of America
witness
I think you're a witness and a recorder.
affect beacon broader direct interest interests itself national spin
And when they do spin out of control there are important ramifications that affect America, not just its direct national interest but its broader interests as a nation which has thought of itself as a beacon to other nations, of freedom, liberty, democracy, whatever.
opportunity quite
And then I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to China in 1980, which was quite early.
affect bosnia directly engage main national rwanda threat unless
I think that's the main threat in Bosnia and Rwanda and Zaire. There doesn't seem to be much willingness to engage these problems unless they directly affect national security interests.
came journalist paid
The desire to become a journalist came really because I very much like living abroad, and like to travel, and wanted to be paid for it.
life numerous
I had my life threatened by Bosnian Serbs on numerous occasions.
bosnian changed help map question
For me the much more significant question is what did the Americans do, if anything, to help the Croatian army, because they are the ones that changed fundamentally the map of Bosnia, not the Bosnian army.
among bosnia certain extent gone rwanda society swept took
I think to a certain extent in Bosnia and among the Hutus in Rwanda and also among the Tutsis in Rwanda who then took revenge on the Hutus, there is a sense of being swept up and a sense that the society in which they live has gone mad.
crime horrendous war
Srebrenica was a horrendous war crime and it had to be uncovered.
lives midst normal people though willing
But on the other hand, in the midst of the chaos, you find normal people. You find people who are willing to risk their lives to tell you what they saw, even though they have no dog in the fight.
demands type work
The work is a calling. It demands that type of obsession.
job
When you do a job like this you have to like having cold sweat on your back.
broader disconnect whereas
Whereas with foreign coverage there's a much broader disconnect between you and your audience.
overseas people
Working overseas is more difficult in that it's much more complicated to get people to open their hearts to you and to tell you information.