I've been a journalist since I dropped out of high school and ran away from home at 17. I can't understand why anyone would ever want to be anything else.

Central to my understanding of our honourable profession is my undoubtedly naive conviction that journalism is a cause and that journalists are servants of the people.

I modestly display both Emmy and Sigma Delta Chi awards for journalism on my bookshelf. But any inspection of my career proves I've had trouble holding down a variety of perfectly good jobs.

I've been — at various times — writer, reporter, interviewer, foreign correspondent, editor, lineup editor, anchor, documentary producer, programme producer, executive producer and news director (your classic moving target) for three newspapers, United Press International, Zambia-TV, ABC-TV, NBC-TV, PBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

I've written documentaries for the United Nations and highly recommend the splendidly civilized company in the Delegate’s Lounge.

In 2006 I executive produced, co-directed, wrote and narrated three 1-hour wildlife documentaries, Inside Noah's Ark, shot in South Africa. The trilogy reveals that because of human need, greed and ignorance, most wildlife reserves are no longer truly wild but have been forced to become huge ranches, giant zoos. To date, the programmes have aired on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS and ten European networks. (See Inside Noah’s Ark Reviews)

Later in 2006 I was appointed lecturer on Social Documentaries at Wilfrid Laurier University — not too shabby for a high-school dropout.

And in 2007 I joined Independent World Television's The Real News Network as Director of Journalism Training. (See Journalism Training Reviews)

As a working journalist I've covered stories in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Great Britain, Russia, Jamaica, most of the states in the US and most of the provinces and territories of Canada.

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Buy my books at Lulu
My videos at YouTube
Innoversity Creative Summit
Journalists for Human Rights
JournalismNet
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Association of Journalists
Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press
Society of Environmental Journalists