I was in Iran in July 2010 on a press trip. Before setting out I tried to do some research about what reporting over there was like, particularly for a foreigner, but there was hardly anything available.
It shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, given that the country rarely allows foreign journalists in, especially following the most recent election. But I needed to make the most of my…
“Want a beer?” asked Alireza?
I had arrived in Iran at 5am that morning and spent the entire day looking at factories and conducting interviews in the broiling 110F heat. So yeah, I would have inhaled a beer. One problem though, alcohol is completely illegal in the Islamic Republic. I had read that penalties could include lashings, prison sentences or worse. But I knew my friend was ok. Would he…
It was pretty nerve-racking. I had never interviewed a head of state before, so as I sat waiting in the presidential palace for Andry Rajoelina’s aides to call me to his office, I was all over the place.
Some background. Rajoelina, who is only 34 years old, became the president of Madagascar in 2009 after the previous president was forced to resign by the army. He was then offered…
Am I the only one who thinks this Tanja Nijeimejr story is completely crazy?
It doesn’t make any sense, and there are holes in every theory. Here’s this girl who goes to Colombia after graduating to teach English. While there she meets some FARC people and gets involved in the group. Prior to this she had spent some time studying in Colombia and wrote her senior thesis on the…
Spencer Anderson is a writer and photographer based in London. He writes for the Financial Times and is available for freelance reporting. Download his CV (Microsoft Word document) or email him at spencerand@gmail.com.
