At UPIU, we make an effort to make journalism fun and engaging.
But the reality is that some of the most important journalism occurs in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Often, it’s not fun. Often, it’s deadly.
Two photojournalists died this week in Libya. Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were among the best out there. They so firmly believed that the story of what’s going on there should be told that they risked their lives, and paid the ultimate price.
Thirty years ago, reporters and photographers were risking their lives in Vietnam, covering a long war that had little support back home. The Web team at UPI.com found a fantastic story by Stewart Kellerman, who reported for UPI from 1965 to 1980. The story, a feature about African American soldiers in Vietnam, was published almost exactly 30 years ago. It so captured the imagination of UPI’s Web team that they decided to find Kellerman.
Today, Kellerman writes books and contributes to a blog on grammar. But he hangs on to photos he took when he was in Vietnam, and his memories of his time there are vivid.
We called Kellerman at his home in Connecticut, and he shared about how he found his story, how he earned the trust of his sources, and why he believes war reporting is important.
Click here to listen to Stewart Kellerman talk about his time in Vietnam.
