Keith Richburg in Pyongyang, North Korea, on a rare reporting trip in November 2011.
By Trish Anderton
Keith B. Richburg is the director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong. Previously, he worked at The Washington Post for more than three decades, as foreign correspondent and bureau chief in Beijing, Paris, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Nairobi, Manila and also as bureau chief in New York. He was also the Post’s foreign editor. He covered stories including the invasion of Iraq, the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the genocide in Rwanda and the 1997 Hong Kong handover. Richburg won the OPC’s 1998 Madeline Dane Ross Award, two George Polk Awards and the National Association of Black Journalists Award. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his Africa coverage.
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan – and a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan.
Education: BA from University of Michigan, MSc. from London School of Economics.
Languages: English, passable French, some high school Spanish, and have been studying Mandarin Chinese for several years, so am somewhat conversational now.
Year you joined the OPC: 2014 while living in Princeton, NJ, as an out-of-town member.
What drew you to international reporting? Growing up in the Midwest gave me an inkling to travel and see an ocean. And watching the Vietnam War unfolding on television, and the Paris Peace Talks, sparked my interest in foreign reporting.
Major challenge as a journalist: To maintain the right work/life balance. Being a correspondent can be all-consuming. But now I’m getting used to the academic cycle.
Best journalism advice received: From an old editor; “Your main job is to file the story. You can’t file the story if you’re dead.”
Worst experience as a journalist: Being shoved to the ground and having an AK-47 shoved in my face in Mogadishu. Besides that, covering the cholera epidemic in Goma, Zaire.
When traveling, you like to… Find a can or bottle of the local beer, and whatever the local food specialty is. Preferably in a local watering hole.
Hardest story: Covering the Rwanda genocide, and trying to remain objective.
Most memorable interview: I’ve had too many to count. Corazon Aquino in the Philippines. Aug San Suu Kyi back in 1989 before she was put under house arrest.
Journalism heroes: Woodward and Bernstein, of course, for anyone of my generation. All the old Vietnam War correspondents. And Peter Parker – Spiderman was a photographer at The Daily Bugle.
Advice for journalists who want to work overseas: Find a place you really want to cover – and then figure out a way to get there. If you can’t get sent, go on your own. But you have to love the place.
Dream job: I’ve had my dream jobs, as correspondent in Paris, Hong Kong and New York City. But I still dream of being a novelist, churning out best-selling thrillers from a beach house in Phuket, or maybe on Oahu, with an apartment in New York City downtown.
Favorite quote: Stan Lee from Marvel Comics – “You have to be a satirist, because the whole world is insane.” It has helped me keep a sense of humor even in the worst of circumstances.
Place you’re most eager to visit: Mongolia, followed by Nepal.
Most over-the-top assignment: I was sent to Fiji to cover the dawn of the new millennium, New Year’s 2000, to see whether the Y2K bug was real. It wasn’t – but I had a great time in Fiji.
Most common mistake you’ve seen: Journalists following the conventional wisdom, instead of letting the reporting guide their stories.
Country you most want to return to: France, for the beauty and culture. But I also want to return to Haiti, since it’s the place where I got my start as a foreign reporter, covering the fall of Baby Doc in 1986.
Twitter handle: @keithrichburg
Want to add to the OPC’s collection of Q&As with members? Please contact patricia@opcofamerica.org.