“It's
a journalist's job to be a witness to history. We're not there to worry about
ourselves. We're there to try and get as near as we can, in an imperfect world,
to the truth and get the truth out.” – Robert Fisk
Born on this date in 1939, Fisk grew up in the rural environs of England but became
a reporter of the world serving 40 years as the Middle East correspondent for various media - but primarily for The
Independent. Fisk, who died in 2020, most often lived and worked in Beirut, intermittently one of the
“hottest” of the Middle East hotspots.
His reporting earned him
accolades from world leaders, the public, and his fellow journalists and he was voted British International
Journalist of the Year seven times.
He also earned more British and international journalism awards than
any other foreign correspondent and published a number of books based on
many of the wars and armed conflicts he covered.
"I think it is the duty
of a foreign correspondent to be neutral and unbiased on the side of those who
suffer, whoever they may be," he said. Despite his reporting successes, covering war and people’s suffering took a toll on Fisk's own
well-being.
“I'm not sure whether I've been
happy,” he noted near the end of his life. “After my last book tour, I sat on my balcony with a cup of
tea. I thought: 'You can't rewind the movie. I've spent more than half my life
in the Middle East. There have been great moments, of course, but also great
moments of horror, depression and loneliness.'”
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