Reporter’s notebook: Haitian resilience

I’m in Haiti to do some reporting on how things stand one-year after the quake. It’s my first trip to Haiti so I don’t have a good sense of before and after; all I know is that the place remains devastated. A year later, you can’t miss the earthquake damage, nor the misery it has produced.

Reporter’s notebook: the air in China

The air in many Chinese cities can be fairly aggressive on the lungs on a regular basis. Mary Kay Magistad explains how people in China deal with the smog and the air pollution.

Reporter’s notebook: China’s coal future

No one needs to sell China on coal. It’s the stuff that fuels 70 percent of this country’s energy, and 80 percent of its electricity. And yet, at an international coal industry conference in Beijing this autumn, an American coal executive spoke with almost evangelical zeal.

Reporter’s notebook: inside a Chinese coal mine

Going down a coal mine may not be at the top of your list of fun touristy things to do, but for anyone planning a trip to China, who can handle at least a day in one of China’s sootier cities, in exchange for an insight into how it feels down there in the dark, you could do a lot worse than the tour offered by the Jin Hua Gong coal mine, part of the Datong Coal Mine Group in Datong.

On the road with the Chinese Foreign Ministry

It was around midnight, on a bus, coming off a plane near the end of yet another 14-hour day traveling on a Chinese Foreign Ministry-organized trip through the western region of Xinjiang and province of Qinghai, when a fellow journalist turned to me and said, “What were they smoking when they came up with this schedule?”

Follow along with Mary Kay Magistad’s special dispatches on her trip to the Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, in China’s far west and the largely ethnic Tibetan province of Qinghai. Part 4 On the road with the Chinese Foreign Ministry: the good, the bad and the struggle for the soul of a story

Read Mary Kay Magistad’s dispatches in our special series

• On the road with China’s Foreign Ministry
• On the Road with the Chinese Foreign Ministry: Anatomy of an Explosive Story
• How to hold a news conference, Chinese provincial style

More from The World’s Mary Kay Magistad

• Chinese frustrations with real estate
• Beijing building gets facelift
• Human rights concerns for Cambodia

How to hold a news conference, Chinese provincial style

You’re a Chinese provincial leader.  A group of foreign journalists is coming through, and you’re supposed to meet them.  What do you do?

Follow along with Mary Kay Magistad’s special dispatches on her trip to the Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, in China’s far west and the largely ethnic Tibetan province of Qinghai.

• Read Mary Kay’s latest blog post from China
• On the Road with the Chinese Foreign Ministry

Police corruption and Joe

A police officer walks through the cars stuck in Monrovia’s horrendous mid-day traffic. He spots John Patrick Van Rensburg, taps on his car window, and asks for his papers. Van Rensburg, a tall, white South African with long brown hair, greets the cop but ignores the request for his license. The officer solicits for a bribe and Van Rensburg simply ignores him. This back and forth is part of the daily game. Reporter Jason Margolis, who was riding in the car with Van Rensburg, has the story.

(Photos: Jason Margolis)

• Audio Slideshow: Idi Amin Slept Here
• Jason Margolis’ Rebuilding Liberia series
• Jason Margolis’ interview with President Sirleaf (MP3, 12:55)

Joe, a dog and chimp

Have you ever met somebody who says they went to a certain university, then you begin the name game. “Shot in the dark, but do you know so-and-so?” Well, imagine playing the name game for a whole country, and only using somebody’s first name. Well, if you’re in Liberia and you meet a businessman or a politician and ask them, “Oh, do you know Joe?” Chances are good they’ll say yes. Chances are even better that they’ll also have an interesting story to share about Joseph Richards.

Reporter’s Notebook: Return to Haiti, Part III

Reporter Amy Bracken is currently in Haiti on assignment. She knows the country well, having lived and worked there in the past. We asked her to keep a notebook of her experiences during her current reporting trip. In her third entry, she describes how Haitians are turning to the rituals of daily life to stave off the effects of the January earthquake. (Photo: Amy Bracken)

• Read Amy’s first notebook entry
• Read Amy’s second notebook entry
• Listen to Amy’s radio stories from Haiti

Reporter’s Notebook: Return to Haiti

Reporter Amy Bracken is currently on assignment in Haiti, a country that she knows well, having lived and worked there extensively in the past. The World asked her to keep a diary of her experiences on this trip. In this, her first entry, she writes about being back in the country, and about how the Haitians are preparing for the rainy season. (Photo: Amy Bracken)

• The World: Amy’s coverage from her previous trip to Haiti (Jan. 19, 2010)
• The World: Amy reflects on post-earthquake Haiti (January 14, 2010)

Oh Canada

Canadians don’t know how to celebrate? “You’ve to to be kidding me, eh?” says Andrea Crossan, producer and reporter for The World. Andrea was in her hometown, Vancouver, to cover the games for The World. Read her Reporter’s Notebook, and listen in to her coverage.

• Andrea’s story on Russian radio in Vancouver
• Andrea’s story on Vancouver’s Elbow Room Cafe
• Andrea’s story on Safe-Sex Superheroes in Vancouver

Reporter’s Journal: Snapshots of Kenya, Part V

The World’s Andrea Crossan recently met up with Kenyan artist Solomon Muyundo, also known as Solo 7. Muyundo is famous in his native Kibera, a huge slum in Nairobi. He’s a graffiti artist known for painting political slogans of peace all over the massive shantytown. “Peace Wanted Alive” is his most well-known slogan. Andrea caught up with Solo 7, and sent in this reporter’s journal entry.

Golan Heights, Israel, Syria and the US

The Israeli-controlled Golan Heights is a peaceful place, but it’s also considered by most of the world to be occupied territory. Some experts say the Obama administration should help bring about a peace deal between Israel and Syria – and one that involves returning the Golan to Syrian control. But few people in the region think a breakthrough will be quick or easy. Listen

Reporter’s Journal: Snapshots of Kenya, IV

The World Health Organization reported today that the H1N1 swine flu virus has now sickened just shy of 60,000 people. That’s the number of confirmed cases worldwide. Of those, just five are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fears Africa could be hit hard by the pandemic. The CDC watches for new diseases in Africa, and it’s keeping a close eye on the continent’s crowded slums. The World’s Andrea Crossan reports from Nairobi, Kenya.

Reporter’s Journal: Snapshots of Kenya, III

The World’s Andrea Crossan goes for a ride on Nairobi, Kenya’s preferred method of transportation, the mini-bus known as a matutu. On the way, she captures some photos and videos that give you a feel of what life is like for both those who ride, and those who work.