SAJAforum

MOVES: Bobby Ghosh promoted to Time Editor-At-Large

July 2007: That's a Preston Merchant photo of Bobby Ghosh, world journalist and snappy dresser (down to his red socks), posing in front of two of his many iconic Time covers.

Below is a memo from Rick Stengel, the top editor at Time magazine. He says three things about Bobby Ghosh (@GhoshWorld):

• Ghosh to become editor-at-large, roving the country and globally writing stories.
• Ghosh has a new book, "The New Middle East" coming out this spring.
• Stengel calls him one of "Time's greatest assets" and cites several of the cover stories he wrote over the last year.

Congrats to Bobby, a great SAJA member and role model who always helps young journalists who seek him out for advice. He was one of our 11 editors in the SAJA Editors Challenge - check it out. And below the Stengel memo you'll find a video of Ghosh interviewing Pakistan's Imran Khan.

Back in Sept. 2007, Ghosh moved to HQ as World Editor. Here's a Q&A SAJAforum did with him then. And an even longer Q&A earlier that summer.

At that time, we ran this little item:

Over on his blog, Prem Panicker reminds us about one of Ghosh's most widely-read piece: "The piece he is best known for is this chilling sit-down with an Iraqi suicide bomber; here, he discusses with Bob Garfield of On the Media how that story came about, and what the experience was like [transcript here]."

[To reach Bobby Ghosh, e-mail saja(at)columbia.edu (subject line = pass onto Bobby Ghosh) or use the comments section below.]

From: "Stengel, Richard - Time U.S.
Date: March 8, 2012 10:07:34 AM EST
To: +TI-TM-ALL_TIME_EDIT
Subject: Staff Announcement

From: Rick Stengel

To: All TIME Edit Staff

I'm delighted to announce that Bobby Ghosh has been promoted to editor-at-large. Bobby is one of TIME's greatest assets and this past year was one of his best yet. He kept us on top of the Arab Spring with a series of cover stories, features, blog posts and tweets which helped our readers make sense of one of the world's most important stories. He's also done much-talked-about international covers on Turkey's Erdogan, Leo Messi, and The World After Gaddafi − all of which match up with his classics on life in Iraq. Bobby, of course, was our Baghdad bureau chief for five years, and this year as deputy international editor, he kickstarted the renewal of the international magazine. His summer journeys issue for international on the scholar Ibn Battuta is still being talked about. Bobby just completed the TIME book 'The New Middle East,' which is coming out this spring. Bobby will become a roving correspondent doing both international and domestic stories, and not only on foreign policy hot spots but his other loves, food and sports. Bobby's mixture of great and intrepid reporting, unique insight and powerful writing is a recipe for what makes TIME exceptional. Please join me in congratulating Bobby on his promotion and new assignment. 

Rick

A 2011 video of Bobby Ghosh interviewing Imran Khan of Pakistan:

 

[To reach Bobby Ghosh, e-mail saja(at)columbia.edu (subject line = pass onto Bobby Ghosh) or use the comments section below.]

MOVES: Nisid Hajari lands major book deal & leaves Newsweek, as Tunku Varadarajan moves in

Big news for one of the more prominent desis in magazine publishing: Newsweek managing editor and longtime SAJA member Nisid Hajari has just landed a major deal to write "Midnight's Furies," a dramatic history of the Partition of India and Pakistan, told through the characters of Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru, Churchill, and Mountbatten. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be publishing the book, which Hajari says he hopes will help explain how so many of America’s problems in the region today stem from the traumatic birth of South Asia’s two great rivals.

You’ve probably been reading about all the tumult at Newsweek this year—the sale to stereo magnate Sidney Harman, the hiring of Tina Brown as editor-in-chief, the merger with the Daily Beast; Fareed Zakaria's move to Time. You might not have realized that Hajari has been running the magazine since late August as acting co-editor, while also writing several pieces about India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

“Under Tina, this is going to be one of the more exciting places to be in magazines next year,” says Hajari, who plans to leave New York early next year to research the book. “The idea of staying on was tremendously tempting. But I’m really looking forward to digging into this subject, which I think is powerful, timely, and surprisingly, given how much has been written about it, not all that well understood outside the region.”

You’ll probably continue to see Hajari’s byline in Newsweek in the months ahead. As you may know, Brown just hired another SAJA member, Tunku Varadajaran, to oversee Newsweek International - we'll catch up with him soon. Seems like the international editions editor title has a deep South Asian connection. Varadarajan's predecessors include Hajari and Zakaria.

The topic of Hajari's book - due in a couple of years - is fascinating and full of drama. When I last co-taught a Columbia Journalism School class about covering India's religions, we assigned "Freedom at Midnight," the bestselling 1975 book by Dominque Lapierre and Larry Collins. It's nonfiction, though it reads as really gripping fiction. But it has been 35 years since it came out, so I can't wait to see what Hajari finds in his research and what kind of story he tells. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, I'm hoping he'll be on Twitter soon.

Post your comments below. We'll make sure he sees them.

EARLIER ON SAJAFORUM:

• OCT 2010: Three questions for Nisid Hajari, co-managing editor of Newsweek
• OCT 2007: Five questions for Nisid Hajari, foreign editor of Newsweek

MAGAZINES: Three questions for Nisid Hajari, co-editor of Newsweek

Back in October, 2007, we ran a post entitled "Five questions for Nisid Hajari," who was then Newsweek foreign editor.

A lot has happened since then, especially in the last few months: The much publicized sale of Newsweek by the Washington Post Company to electronics magnate Sidney Harman (for a $1 pricetag and the assumption of $47 million of liabilities). Rumors of a hookup with The Daily Beast. The launch of a Pakistan edition of Newsweek. Several big names have left the magazine, including SAJAer Fareed Zakaria, who is now an editor-at-large at Time, connecting his CNN show, "Fareed Zakaria GPS" with the network's Time Inc cousin.

In the meantime, Hajari has been named interim co-editor of the magazine, along with Dan Klaidman. He also continues to write, putting together a major story in this week's issue about the tortured US-Pakistan ties. An excerpt:

 In America’s relationship with Pakistan, carrots predominate, in part because we have so few sticks. After our almost unquestioned support for Pakistani dictator Gen. Pervez Musharraf didn’t elicit sufficient cooperation against the Taliban, we showered the civilian government that replaced him with $7.5 billion in aid, to little effect. American generals praise the very real sacrifices—in blood and treasure—made by the Pakistani Army in the fight against militants in Swat and South Waziristan; yet calls to broaden the campaign to North Waziristan, home to one of the deadliest Afghan insurgent groups, the Haqqani network, go unheeded. U.S. and Pakistani diplomats recite platitudes about “our common enemy, and Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari repeatedly invokes his assassinated wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to underscore his dedication to battling extremists. But that depends on whose extremists. 

We asked the always upbeat Hajari three quick questions about Newsweek, the future of US-Pak ties and the new Pakistan edition. His answers, via e-mail:

SAJAforum: What's it like at Newsweek these days?

MOVES: Srinija Srinivasan, Yahoo editor-in-chief, leaving

Srinija Srinivasan, Yahoo's employee #5 and editor-in-chief, is leaving the company after 15 years. She's written a blog post and put together a video (see above). From "Reflecting Back, Looking Forward":

Today more than 15 years later, I’m proud to announce my graduation from Yahoo! employee to Yahoo! user. No blog post can capture the density of this experience, the richness of what I’ve learned, and the profound gratitude I’ll always have — for David and Jerry taking that leap of faith in me, and for the thousands of Yahoo! employees who have made this a place where magic happens. And above all, nothing I write can convey how humbled and inspired I’ve been by the hundreds of millions of you who share your time, extend your trust, and make Yahoo! a part of your lives. I’m glad to count myself among you.

Here are some pointers on how she'll be keeping busy:

As I turn in my employee badge, I’ll be devoting more time to my longstanding love for jazz. I chair the board of SFJAZZ, a nonprofit in San Francisco in the midst of an exciting phase of growth. On the opposite side of the country, my partner Josh and I are developing a performance and production center for creative music in Brooklyn. At Yahoo! I’ve witnessed the kinds of circumstances that give rise to great creativity, and I find the same holds true in music: bringing together diverse perspectives in a collaborative spirit, allowing each voice individual expression in service to the collective whole, striking just the right balance between structure and freedom, being mindful and respectful of the past but relentlessly looking forward to what’s next.

She has always been a great supporter of SAJA and we wish her the very best in her new adventures.

BTW, Srinivasan, who is known universally as Ninj, and I are not related, even though we both have fathers named T.P. Srinivasan/Sreenivasan and her brother's name is Sri Srinivasan (Sri is a high-profile lawyer who regularly argues cases at the Supreme Court). 

Your comments are welcome below.

JOB: Roving foreign correspondent for WashPost

In late 2009, SAJAforum posted jobs for Pakistani bureau chief of Reuters and Islamabad correspondent for the Washington Post. Here's a brand-new posting for what looks like an amazing opportunity for a journalist with the right experience, temperament, hunger, and frequent-flier miles.

DON'T FORGET: SAJAforum tips for American journalists going to South Asia for the first time.

Job Posting: Foreign Correspondent
   With the war in Aghanistan likely to intensify in the next year, we're planning to create a new, roving job on the foreign staff to help strengthen our coverage. Its  responsibilities will stretch from Iraq to Pakistan, and the duties will keep a correspondent on the road for at least seven months a year, dividing time between our bureaus in Baghdad, Kabul and Islamabad. The correspondent could be based in Washington or abroad.

    We're seeking an experienced war correspondent who has already spent time covering either the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan, if not both. Any candidate should be mindful of the dangers inherent in covering conflict zones, and should be prepared for long stretches away from home. We're seeking a minimum commitment of one year for the job, beginning no later than April 2010.

     A strong candidate would be an agile, self-starting reporter and a generous colleague eager to parachute into a new story every month or so. A strong internal candidate has already emerged, but we're eager to hear from others interested in this job or in other opportunities on the foreign staff. Applicants should contact Douglas Jehl jehld[at]washpostl by Jan. 18.

January 4, 2010

Please use code "SAJA" so they know you heard about it here.

TV: Daljit Dhaliwal to anchor PBS show "Worldfocus"

On Aug. 31, British-born TV journalist Daljit Dhaliwal will become the new anchor of "Worldfocus," the national PBS nightly newscast about international issues. She will continue to anchor her other PBS weekly show, "Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal." From the press release:

"This is a wonderful opportunity," said Dhaliwal.  "In a very short-time Worldfocus has become the program to watch for in-depth international news stories showcasing a diverse group of voices through a diverse group of guests. I'm excited to play a more central role in anchoring this newscast as it grows both on-air and online with a more interactive website coming soon. I look forward to working with the entire Worldfocus team."

The full press release is below. Post your comments, please. Photo on right is by Preston Merchant and is from her appearance at the 2006 SAJA Convention (report below).

EARLIER ON SAJAforum:

• Daljit Dhaliwal anchors "Global Watch" Special on PBS
• SAJA Convention Q&A with Daljit Dhaliwal: On "Wide Angle" and More

Aug. 17, 2009 Press release:

Press Contacts:
Kellie Castruita Specter, specter[at]wnet.org,
Roberta Lee, leer[at]wnet.org

Worldfocus, public television's international newscast, changes anchor lineup

               Martin Savidge Returns To Field Reporting; Will Serve As Fill-In Anchor
               Daljit Dhaliwal To Take On Regular Anchor Duties

NEW YORK, August 17, 2009 - Worldfocus, public television's weeknightly international newscast, will make adjustments to its nightly anchor lineup.  Martin Savidge, who has anchored Worldfocus since its debut, will become a special correspondent in the field.  Daljit Dhaliwal, who has been a contributing correspondent and occasional substitute for Savidge, will become anchor.  The changes will begin August 31, 2009.  Worldfocus is produced by Creative News Group for WNET.ORG.

"Martin Savidge has been restless to get out in the field," said Marc Rosenwasser, Executive Producer of Worldfocus. "We're pleased to be able to add his experience and insight to our field reporting team while having Daljit Dhaliwal play a larger role at the anchor desk. However, we are relying on Martin to take some turns in the anchor chair," Rosenwasser added.

"I've been delighted to be the steady nightly anchor for Worldfocus during its inaugural year," said Savidge.  "It's been a pleasure to help launch this important news franchise from the anchor desk in New York.  But every night, as correspondents file their stories from the far-flung reaches of the globe, I find myself a bit envious.  I'm eager to get back out there where the news is made."

"This is a wonderful opportunity," said Dhaliwal.  "In a very short-time Worldfocus has become the program to watch for in-depth international news stories showcasing a diverse group of voices through a diverse group of guests. I'm excited to play a more central role in anchoring this newscast as it grows both on-air and online with a more interactive website coming soon. I look forward to working with the entire Worldfocus team."

MEDIA: NPR's new Pakistan bureau (Q&A with NPR's Loren Jenkins)

In April, foreign correspondent Julie McCarthy moved to Islamabad to open NPR’s first permanent bureau in Pakistan, and found herself covering its latest crisis: the Taliban's incursion into the Swat Valley, and the creation of thousands of refugees.

The move by NPR follows the expansion of the New York Times South Asia bureau, and suggests that while some media outlets are cutting back their international coverage, others see the region as too big and complex to ignore or underplay. NPR's New Delhi correspondent continues to be Phillip Reeves--see our Q&A with him, after the Mumbai attacks. The Afghanistan correspondent is Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson.

Prior to the move, McCarthy (photo credit Wen Wang) was NPR’s South American correspondent based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, covered the Middle East from 2002-2005, and headed the Tokyo bureau.

McCarthy’s seemingly fearless accounts cover the impoverished and hungry, and the politically powerful and affluent. Her coverage of the Asian economic crisis in 1998 resulted in an Overseas Press Club of America Award. She's also won a Peabody.

Here is some of McCarthy’s work starting with her most recent Pakistan stories (complete list here):

• Pakistani Civilians forced to Flee Swat Valley
• U.S. surprised by Taliban's land grab in Pakistan
• Taliban Exert Influence in Pakistan
• Venezuela-Columbia Conflict Put Region on Edge
• Catholic Church Losing Ground in Latin America
• Spiraling Food Prices Buffet Poverty-Stricken Haiti
• Palestinians Await Changes in Gaza
• Hamas' Political Clout Grows

Loren Jenkins, NPR’s Senior Foreign Editor, spoke to SAJAforum about the McCarthy’s move and the new bureau:

SF: What aspects of Pakistani news will the bureau emphasize in its coverage?

LJ: We will cover all aspects of Pakistan news that we judge might be of interest to our listeners -- political news, economic news, cultural news, etc. Obviously the Obama administration has made it plain that it considers Pakistan and Afghanistan part of the same foreign policy challenge and that will be an important--but not exclusive--focus of our coverage.

MEDIA WATCH: Ramesh Ponnuru as NYT columnist?

Conservative columnist William Kristol is no longer with the Times. He wrote his last piece 3 days ago--now begins the Times' Quest for a Conservative. It's already prompted plenty of speculation. George Packer of The New Yorker thinks Peggy Noonan, Andrew Sullivan and David Frum are all possibilities. He also suggested Ramesh Ponnuru:

Ramesh Ponnuru, who often writes guest Op-Eds, is one of the few writers at National Review Online’s Corner who didn’t embarrass himself during the campaign. (On the other hand, there’s his recent book about Democrats. It’s called “The Party of Death.”) Ponnuru is a reformist, but he still seems hemmed in by orthodoxy and shrinks from taking the rebuilding project as far as Ross Douthat, who writes for the Atlantic.

Ponnuru is a youngin: he's not yet 35. And like another prominent Indian-American conservative, Bobby Jindal, is a convert to Christianity.

UPDATE: Coincidentally, Ponnuru wrote an op-ed for the NYT today, a day after this post. It's called "Social Security on the First Date."  Here are some earlier Times op-eds he's written:

• How to Move the Middle (Nov. 7, 2008)
• Taxing the Hand that Feeds Us (Sept. 20, 2007)
• Reactionary Moderates (Nov. 12, 2006)
• How to Win by Losing (Sept. 13, 2006)
• Why Conservatives are Divided (Oct. 17, 2005)
• Partnership in Insecure Times (June 11, 2002)
• Bush's Better Inclination (Oct. 5, 2000) - with Rich Lowry

Check out Ponnuru's appearance on The Daily Show, where he defends his book before a somewhat skeptical Jon Stewart. To see his bio and bylines, visit Ramesh's NRO page here.

Earlier on SAJAforum:

• BYLINE WATCH: Ramesh Ponnuru's Right Matters on WashPost site

MOVES: Vikas Bajaj moves to Mumbai as NYT business correspondent

Former SAJA vice president and convention chair Vikas Bajaj (click on image for hi-rez version) will soon be moving from New York to Mumbai. He will become the New York Times business section's first correspondent in Mumbai (he will also write for the International Herald Tribune). From a memo by NYT business editor Larry Ingrassia:

Colleagues,

    I am pleased to announce that Vikas Bajaj, who has covered the financial markets and housing for the last three years, will become Business Day's first correspondent in Mumbai, India.

    Vikas, who joined the Times in 2005 from The Dallas Morning News, has been an important member of our team covering the financial crisis over the last two years. At the height of the turmoil last September and October, he focused on the collapse of the stock and credit markets in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, while also writing smart, cogent pieces explaining how Wall Street and the economy were laid low by the lure of easy money and financial engineering. All told, his byline graced the front page three dozen times last year.

   In his new assignment, which Vikas will start in late March, he will return to the country of his birth at a crucial time in India's history. We will look to Vikas to help explain India's dynamic, and often, chaotic economy and the impact the country's emergence is having on the world and its own population of more than 1 billion people. Recent events have been especially dramatic, with India being buffeted by the global financial crisis and its proud business community shaken by the revelation of a massive corporate fraud, not to mention the brazen terrorist attack in Mumbai.

   In his new job, Vikas will report to Marcus Mabry and work closely with Heather Timmons, our contract writer in New Delhi, as well as our colleagues on the Foreign Desk and the IHT Asia in Hong Kong.

   Vikas was born in Mumbai, raised in Bangkok, Thailand and educated at Michigan State. He speaks fluent Hindi, which will serve him well in his new assignment, and some Thai.

   Join us in wishing Vikas well as he begins his new assignment.

   Larry & Marcus

Asked why this assignment at this time, Bajaj told SAJA: "The Indian economy is going through seminal and seismic changes right now. There are many great stories to written about what is going on there, how it affects the world and how it is changing the lives of a billion Indians."

When he moves to India in March, it will be a time of transition for the NYT India staff. Somini Sengupta will soon be leaving New Delhi after a four-year stint as New Delhi bureau chief (see link below). Replacing her will be Jim Yardley, Beijing bureau chief. Also joining the Delhi bureau is Lydia Polgreen, currently West Africa bureau chief. Heather Timmons will continue to work out of the Delhi bureau for the business desk.

• SAJAforum coverage of Bajaj's work: The day he had two A1 stories above the fold (March 28, 2008) | Vikas Bajaj's nonstop hits (June 26, 2007)
• See  Vikas Bajaj's collection of stories at his Times Topics page
• SAJAforum coverage of Sengupta/Yardley/Polgreen moves

Also see SAJAforum coverage of recent member moves to South Asia:

• Former SAJA president Jyoti Thottam becomes South Asia bureau chief - included a webcast (June 2008)
• Geeta Anand moves to Mumbai for Wall Street Journal (June 2008)

Post your comments below. E-mail him via saja[at]columbia.edu (subject = pass on to Vikas Bajaj)

MOVES: Madhulika Sikka named executive producer of NPR's "Morning Edition"

In the world of American broadcasting, there are a few news shows that are instantly recognizable around the country, whose names conjure up images of what the show "feels like" and the personalities to go with them. The list would include "60 Minutes," the "Today Show," "Meet the Press," "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "Larry King Live," "The O'Reilly Factor," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and the three nightly news progams on NBC, ABC and CBS.

Among the non-TV shows, the biggest of the radio names would have to be "Morning Edition" on National Public Radio. The show is carried on more than 650 radio stations around the country and has a weekly audience of 13 million listeners.

And now there's a South Asian name in charge  of the most listened-to show on public radio.

Long-time SAJA member Madhulika Sikka has been named executive producer of NPR’s "Morning Edition." From a memo by Ellen McDonnell, director of NPR's morning programming:

From: Ellen McDonnell
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 3:08 AM
To: News-All Staff
Subject: Congratulations

Starting today Madhulika Sikka officially takes over as Executive Producer of Morning Edition.

As Deputy Executive Producer she has elevated both the journalism and production of Morning Edition. She has proved herself a skilled manager and generous mentor within the News Division. She has helped develop an integral relationship between desks and the show and I think you'll agree that Morning Edition has never sounded better.  As many of you know, she has brought a wealth of experience to NPR with her 25 plus years of award-winning broadcast journalism.  She has been an enormous asset as we continuously re-define the role of Morning News at NPR.

This promotion completes a transition which began when I was named Director of Morning programming.

A strong team just got stronger.

//
Morning Edition, the two-hour newsmagazine airing weekdays and hosted
by Steve Inskeep in Washington, D.C. and Renée Montagne from NPR West
in Culver City, Calif., is public radio's most listened-to program
with more than 13 million weekly listeners. For local stations and
broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org/stations

Asked about the move, Sikka told SAJAforum: "I'm delighted that I will be able to continue to produce  a show that has proved to be so relevant and valuable to millions of listeners every day. Morning Edition's continued success is a testament to the value and necessity of a wide ranging daily magazine show in these times."

Her official bio: