Reporters on the Job: From London to Tel Aviv, Israel

London – Scott PetersonA foreign correspondent’s work isn’t always glamorous. I was based for 13 years in Istanbul, from which I covered Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan with minimal fuss. That experience hardly prepared me for the bureaucratic rigors of my upcoming trip to Turkey in November. Even a temporary press badge required prior approval from the Prime Minister’s Press Office, which, in turn, needed a letter from the American Consulate in Istanbul vouching for my bona fides. Armed with that approval, I took a sheaf of documents to the Turkey visa agency in London. The agency would hold my passport for nearly two weeks before returning it with the visa, at which point I could send copies to Turkey, which could then process my press card. This, all before the actual work of reporting begins. Akwesasne, N.Y. – Melanie Stetson FreemanNot everyone likes to have their photo taken. Some people stiffen up and look pretty uncomfortable in front of my big camera. Every time I head out on assignment, I’m meeting someone new. I need to help them feel comfortable with being photographed almost immediately. It can help to snap shots during interviews since subjects usually display a range of emotions while they’re talking. Recently, a reporter and I were profiling an artist. He looked super serious when sitting for his close-up. Photographers learn to keep their cameras ready, though, since the best moments can happen anytime. We were outside saying goodbye when the artist leaned against a pillar and gave me a grin. That was the keeper.Eufaula, Okla. – Sarah MatusekOn a recent reporting trip, I found myself being questioned in a police car – but I put myself there. On a ride-along, an Oklahoma state trooper turned the interview around. He asked how people get my job: Is there a “vetting process” for journalists? (Maybe he’d begun to regret my riding along.) We don’t need to pass a special exam or swear an oath – unlike how he earned his badge and gun. But we have ethics, I explained. And, ideally, growth in craft and reputation advances our careers. “Anyone can do it,” I said, grateful for this right. He called that “pretty cool.” Mutual respect ripened for a moment, and then we chased a speeding SUV. Tel Aviv, Israel – Dina KraftWhen Dina Kraft began reporting on Israelis leaving the country, she encountered an unexpected obstacle: Many didn’t want to talk. In relocation WhatsApp groups, she learned, Israelis were warning one another against speaking to journalists, worried they would be portrayed as abandoning their country. For Jewish Israelis, living in Israel has always been bound with building and protecting a Jewish homeland. To say you are leaving can carry a sense of abandoning something larger than home. Many didn’t want to share their real names. And they often used the word “relocation.” “It’s much easier to say ‘relocating’ than ‘I’m moving’ or ‘I’m leaving.’ It’s so loaded.” – Sara Miller Llana / International editor Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.