Like his fellow countrymen ? writers, artists, journalists ? he was supposed to have spoken at the Kolkata Book Fair. But with the 33 rd edition being called off at the last minute, Peter Wonacott, Wall Street Journal’s senior correspondent for South Asia , addressed journalism students of Calcutta University instead, peppering his speech with his experience of reporting from China , India and Pakistan .
It was a seminar on “freedom of speech” and Wonacott chose to make a case for the print media, saying in this globalised world, the demand for newspaper style journalism has only grown. He said cable TV and internet may have changed people’s reading habits, but that there’s still “space for big, messy global stories, where newspaper journalists are at an advantage because they have the resources to investigate and analyse”.
Wonacott argued that there are ‘two pillars’ of the world story ? one the global economy and two, the war on terror. “In the global economy, what happens in Shanghai or Mumbai affects markets in London and the US and vice-versa. India and China is the epicentre of many big events, so if you are reporting from South Asia , you are at an advantage.” The other ‘pillar’ is 9/11 and the war on terror. “Regardless of one’s politics, few can deny the importance of 9/11 and the new alliances it forged among nations. Suddenly, Pakistan ‘s stability matters to global markets.”
Asked about his Beijing, New Delhi experiences, Wonacott quipped: “In China, where I spent 13 years, 11 as a reporter, my calls were eavesdropped, computer broken into, I was arrested for covering a demonstration? this hasn’t happened in India though I have had my arm twisted a couple of times, especially when I wanted to write about prime minister Manmohan Singh’s daughter, Amrit, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in the US, ahead of President Bush’s visit to India.” He did write that story.