Through Their Eyes: Foreign Correspondents in the United States

Access: Who sees whom, when, and why

Access Who sees whom, when, and why 83 Among our full-time correspondents, a substantial number—62 percent—complained that they had problems reaching sources because they represented non-U.S. news organizations. Many years ago, when Albert Hunt, then of the Wall Street Journal, was asked why Washington reporters always seemed to be complaining, he replied, “We complain because we are quasicreative people.”1 But overall, the foreign correspondents that we interviewed were not notable complainers. Annette Moll probably reflected the feelings of the majority when she recalled being asked to cover Washington for German Public Radio: They offered me the contract and really it was, “Wow! [I can’t believe that] they’re offering me this.” I think it’s really the most prestigious job that can be offered as a media person. And yes, I gave up my apartment, I [sold] my car immediately [and said] “I’m going.”2 “Of course, everyone wants to be a foreign correspondent in the U.S.,” said Wei Tian, of China Radio International.3 These were not unhappy people. Yet this is a chapter about complaints. Our correspondents are complaining here partly because we asked them for their complaints , which generally related in one way or another to access. Still, some were quick to note that their access problem could be much worse, as did Rujun Wang, of China’s People’s Daily: “I think it’s much easier than in other countries.” He added, “I worked in India, I know everything about that. In India if you [want] to make an interview to some officer, that’s unbelievable just because their [bureaucracy] is too slow. Here it is much better.”4 Access, pointed out Yasemin Congar, “depends on the period, on who you are very much, on the issues, and on which agency you’re dealing with.”5 It was access as affected by “the period” that Sabine Reifenberg, of German television network ARD, referred to in 1998 when she said that it had been easier for German journalists before the Berlin Wall came down and America’s interests turned to other parts of the world.6 “During the Clinton era, Russia was in fashion, so to speak,” recalled Nickolay Zimin, of Moscow’s Itogi magazine, in 2003. “It was much easier to gain access—if not to the secretary of state, then at least to Strobe Talbott. He was the deputy then and dealt with Russia, so you could also talk to other people through him.”7 More dramatic still was the sudden access of Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite channel, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. “In my personal experience,” said Abderrahim Foukara in 2002, “if you’re talking about people in the administration, most of the feedback I’ve gotten from my colleagues, who have been at Al Jazeera longer than I have, is that the administration is quite keen to talk to Al Jazeera and explain their point of view about whatever issue may be at stake.”8 However, with the founding of rival network Al Arabiya the next year, the Bush administration chose it as the more reasonable conduit to the Arab world, and the president granted Al Arabiya exclusive interviews in May 2004 (after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal) and in January 2005 (before the Iraq election).9 The list of those less fortunate would have to begin with correspondents from small countries that are not immediately important to U.S. strategic interests. “It’s in our genes that we are from a small country,” said Holland’s Charles Groenhuijsen. “It’s in our genes that nobody speaks Dutch. It’s in our genes that nobody really cares.” As for trying to interview members of Congress: We hardly try anymore. It’s just hardly worth the time. I did an interview with [Senator] Joe Biden a couple of months ago because one of the spokespeople for Joe Biden is my neighbor across the street. I said, “C’mon, Norm, you owe me one.” And eventually he arranged for it, and it worked out fine.”10 Said Sweden’s Karin Henriksson, “It’s a rude awakening, I think, for many [foreign correspondents to realize that they are] less important than some local radio station, you know.”1 1 84 ACCESS The small-country problem was summed up by Olga Bakova, of Radio Slovensko: You have to be aware that...