Yesterday, the world lost one of the great journalists, and great human beings, who have shaped our thinking in the last half century. American correspondent Christopher Dickey died in Paris at the age of 68. I will not attempt to eulogize, or even summarize his contributions to reportage and literature. There are dozens, or more likely hundreds, far better suited to that task, and who will doubtless attend to it. For starters, his colleague Barbie Latza Nadeau, wrote a beautiful tribute for The Daily Beast.
But because Chris was an old family friend, and because he was so gracious, he was kind enough to be the subject of the first podcast interview for this blog when it launched in 2012. We talked for over an hour about journalism and security in the digital age, and he is such a polymath that it was no easy job deciding what to cut for the roughly 30-minute conversation that was ultimately published. I listened to the interview again this morning, and, unsurprisingly, Chris’s insight remains instructive, even in a world that has changed so dramatically in eight years. I wish I could ask him new questions, but that only puts me in a very, very long line. I will always be grateful to Chris for this kindness, and others, and wanted to re-post the interview today upon learning this sad news. My sincere condolences to his family and to so many who knew and loved him.
Archery photo source by: daseaford
