Community Building in the Washington, DC area!!

SFP Editor: What inspired you to be a journalist? Mike Snow: Ernest Hemingway. Although the man himself had some less than admirable personal qualities and passions (I strongly oppose bullfighting, i.e.), the simplicity of his writing is brilliant and the his adventures in obscure, often dangerous parts of the world hard to match. He clearly exemplifies what Robert Frost had in mind when he said: "the people I want to hear about are the people who take risks." The most successful people are the biggest risk takers, who are capable of thinking out of the box.

SFP Editor: What is the most rewarding aspect of being a journalist?

Mike Snow: The freedom to research, write and say what I perceive to be the unvarnished truth, without having to tailor my observations to the biases or expectations of others, even if they happen to provoke discomfort.

SFP Editor: What is the most challenging story you have covered?

Mike Snow: Fighting in both Africa and Asia, where I came to know the sound of bullets pinging past my ears and endured being thrown out of several countries because of articles that I wrote. Another challenging story was being jailed briefly in Cuba on suspicion of spying. Still another occurred in Bolivia when I became injured in a remote jungle and, thanks to a helicopter rescue, managed barely to escape.

SFP Editor: What about Washington, DC has prompted you to consider the city your home?

Mike Snow: It's a premier news city, full of interesting, well-informed people and plenty of cultural events, participatory sports, and other distractions that help make life interesting.

SFP Editor: What news story of the past year do you find to be the most fascinating?

Mike Snow: The evolving situation in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

SFP Editor: What do you predict to be the big story of 2007?

Mike Snow:The Middle East and terrorism. The worsening U.S. quagmire in Iraq, the current stand off in Lebanon, and the attempt by Iran's Islamist leaders to exploit the situation, all raise the prospect of dramatically higher energy prices and pose threats to the world economy.

SFP Editor: What advice do you have for aspiring journalists?

Mike Snow: First, pick out a trouble spot or a potential trouble spot where you would be willing to live for a year or two that is not already saturated with news coverage. Next, compile a list of various foreign editors in Washington and request "informational interviews" with as many of these editors as possible. Make them clear about your travel plans and your willingness to supplement their radio or print coverage with news of ongoing developments in your new area of expertise. Most editors will be happy to use material submitted by someone with such authority who is not going to cost them much. Doing this will give you a big advantage over recent graduates who desperately want to break into the field here in Washington.

SFP Editor: What is the biggest obstacle in being a journalist covering international issues?

Mike Snow: The competition. Most journalists want to be foreign correspondents. Most, however, initially lack direct experience needed to give their reportage depth. A novice can give himself a big edge by setting up shop in a potentially troublesome, faraway land and experiencing the culture of the area that he/she plans to report on first hand.

SFP Editor: Who would be the most intriguing person to interview for a news story?

Mike Snow:There are many: Osama bin Laden, Fidel Castro, Mohammed Ahmadinajad, the current president of Iran; and Ayman al-Zawahari, Al Qaeda's second in command (but to many the real brains of that terrorist organization), to name a few.

SFP Editor: Are you currently working on any articles?

Mike Snow: My main areas of interest are international politics, business, travel and art, as well as alternative medicine. I am currently researching a piece about Quebec, from which I recently returned, that focuses on the dramatically dwindling interest in religion in that area (churches are being turned into circus schools, i.e.), in contrast to the U.S., where religion is growing. In January, I expect to leave on an extended trip to Singapore and other parts of Asia.