James Hi! Welcome to my home page. I am a journalist living in New York, where I currently work for the Ford Foundation as a program associate in the field of environment and development. I am also the author of a recently released book, A Land on Fire , which recounts the many issues I covered and scandals I uncovered while working on the green beat in Southeast Asia.

For nine years during the 1990s, I was based in Thailand, where I worked for a daily newspaper and hosted a TV show. Although I have written about a wide variety of subjects - including politics, business, international affairs and science and technology - my primary focus has been the environment, particularly environmental issues in developing countries. As a reporter and editor for The Nation, an English-language daily newspaper based in Bangkok, I traveled and wrote about issues all over Southeast Asia. Initially, I was hired as Science and Technology Editor, supervising the publication of a weekly science and computer section for nearly three years, but was subsequently appointed Environment Editor, a position I held for about five years. Along with reporting and writing all manner of articles, I oversaw the Environment Desk, a team of 4-5 reporters covering a wide variety of stories on how natural resources are used in Southeast Asia, and who gets to use them. I was a co-founder of the Thai Society of Environmental Journalists, and have also written several fortnightly columns for The Nation: one about the Internet called "Net Trek", and another, entitled "3D Vision", focusing on environmental and scientific issues.

In 1998-9, I switched over to work as a TV journalist, serving as host and scriptwriter for a program called Rayngan Si-khiow ("Green Report") -- a weekly, Thai-language feature program about the environment which appeared nationally on the ITV network. Currently, I am on leave from my journalism career to attend graduate school at Columbia University in New York City. I am pursuing a masters degree in international affairs, with a concentration in environmental studies. I have also been working part-time at Newsweek. And last year I worked as an analyst at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Global Programs in Washington D.C.

In 1998-9, I switched over to work as a TV journalist, serving as host and scriptwriter for a program called Rayngan Si-khiow ("Green Report") -- a weekly, Thai-language feature program about the environment which appeared nationally on the ITV network. To find out more about my work, you can look at my resume and some of my articles. Among the more important stories I've covered is an investigation into the dumping of mercury into the Gulf of Thailand by offshore natural gas producers Unocal and Total, and by petrochemical firms on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard. I have also written extensively about the Yadana gas pipeline, illegal logging scandals along the Burmese border and other forestry issues, such as the controversial "Man and forest" debate going on in Thailand. My colleagues and I have revealed how resort developers encroach on public land in national parks, for instance at Haad Chao Mai National Park in Trang province. Other interesting topics include wildlife issues, comment pieces on democracy and the environment, feature pieces on interesting people and places, coverage of global summits such as the WTO's first ministerial meeting in Singapore, where I wrote about trade and the environment, and the COP-2 and COP-3 climate change summits in Geneva and Kyoto, and much more. Unfortunately, many of my older pieces are not available on-line, but you can always email me. I enjoy getting feedback, and would love to hear about your views and experiences.

On a more personal note, I was born and raised in the US,where I received a bachelor's degree from Amherst College, majoring in Physics, Astronomy and History. I then received a Watson Fellowship, during which I studied "International Cooperation in Physics" in Europe and North Africa. I arrived in Bangkok in 1990 after working and travelling for two years across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. So, yes, travelling is one of my major interests, along with sports: I play soccer, tennis, squash, volleyball, basketball, and in 1998 played for the Bangkok Soi Dawgz in the Pan Asian Ultimate Frisbee Tournament held in Hong Kong. I currently live in New York along with my wife and my two cats, Itchy and Scratchy. My father and brother also have websites you can look up.

Copyright (C)1998-2003 James Fahn.
Material on this website may not be reproduced without proper citation.
Last updated 03/03/2003 by my wife