By John Pitcher
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
People often ask journalist Nicholas Kristof (pictured) why he puts his life in danger to write about human suffering in war-torn areas.
Kristof — who was in Omaha on Thursday night to present a Great Minds Series lecture at Kaneko — has a ready answer.
“Once you've seen a 13-year-old girl who's had her eye gouged out in a Cambodian brothel, you don't ask that question,” he said.
Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times whose column appears in The World-Herald, was at Kaneko as part of a two-day series of events focusing on the field of journalism and the art of reporting.
IF YOU GO
What: “On Writing as Witness: A Reporter's Perspective.” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario discusses the practice and style of contemporary reporting.
When: Noon today
Where: Kaneko, 1111 Jones St.
Admission: $25 ($18 senior citizens and $10 students); call 341-3800
Sonia Nazario, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her writing about immigration for the Los Angeles Times, joined Kristof during a question-and-answer session after his talk. Nazario will also speak at Kaneko today at noon.
A nonprofit cultural institution, Kaneko was founded to explore creativity in the arts, sciences, philosophy and business.
Hal France, Kaneko's executive director, said Kristof and Nazario were invited to Kaneko because they are among the most creative people in their field.
“Kristof uses a blog, Facebook, Twitter and other new techniques to get his message out there,” France said. “He's not hamstrung by old media and is very cutting edge.”
Yet during Thursday night's session, both Kristof and Nazario emphasized the importance of good old-fashioned storytelling.
A student of social psychology, Kristof said he has always been fascinated with the question of what creates empathy in people.
It turns out the human brain reacts emotionally to stories about real people. Once personal feelings are established, the rational side of the brain takes over and directs action to assist those people.
“That's why I write stories about the individual,” Kristof said. “That's how I engage people.”
Kristof and his wife, journalist Sheryl WuDunn, used that technique extensively in their recent book, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” WuDunn spoke about the book during a talk at Kaneko last month. Kristof and WuDunn's book included the story of Long Pross, the 13-year-old Cambodian girl blinded in one eye in a brothel.
Nazario used similar narrative techniques in her book “Enrique's Journey,” about a Honduran boy who traveled through Mexico on top of a freight train on an odyssey to find his mother. In telling her story, Nazario retraced his route atop the trains Enrique traveled.
During the question-and-answer session, event moderator C. David Kotok, managing editor of The World-Herald, asked Nazario and Kristof about their willingness to take risks while on assignment.
Surprisingly, both journalists indicated they were cautious.
“No story is worth risking your life over,” Nazario said. “You have to make it back to write the story.”
Kristof agreed, though he noted that bad things can happen even when you take precautions.
“During my first trip to the Congo, my plane crashed,” he said. “And then I got malaria.”
Despite the dangers of foreign reporting, Kristof made an urgent appeal to student journalists to travel abroad and report what they see.
“Everyone in this room is so lucky that we've all essentially won life's lottery,” Kristof said. “So we have a responsibility to engage.”
Contact the writer:
444-1076, john.pitcher@owh.com
Kristof — who was in Omaha on Thursday night to present a Great Minds Series lecture at Kaneko — has a ready answer.
“Once you've seen a 13-year-old girl who's had her eye gouged out in a Cambodian brothel, you don't ask that question,” he said.
Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times whose column appears in The World-Herald, was at Kaneko as part of a two-day series of events focusing on the field of journalism and the art of reporting.
IF YOU GO
What: “On Writing as Witness: A Reporter's Perspective.” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario discusses the practice and style of contemporary reporting.
When: Noon today
Where: Kaneko, 1111 Jones St.
Admission: $25 ($18 senior citizens and $10 students); call 341-3800
Sonia Nazario, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her writing about immigration for the Los Angeles Times, joined Kristof during a question-and-answer session after his talk. Nazario will also speak at Kaneko today at noon.
A nonprofit cultural institution, Kaneko was founded to explore creativity in the arts, sciences, philosophy and business.
Hal France, Kaneko's executive director, said Kristof and Nazario were invited to Kaneko because they are among the most creative people in their field.
“Kristof uses a blog, Facebook, Twitter and other new techniques to get his message out there,” France said. “He's not hamstrung by old media and is very cutting edge.”
Yet during Thursday night's session, both Kristof and Nazario emphasized the importance of good old-fashioned storytelling.
A student of social psychology, Kristof said he has always been fascinated with the question of what creates empathy in people.
It turns out the human brain reacts emotionally to stories about real people. Once personal feelings are established, the rational side of the brain takes over and directs action to assist those people.
“That's why I write stories about the individual,” Kristof said. “That's how I engage people.”
Kristof and his wife, journalist Sheryl WuDunn, used that technique extensively in their recent book, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” WuDunn spoke about the book during a talk at Kaneko last month. Kristof and WuDunn's book included the story of Long Pross, the 13-year-old Cambodian girl blinded in one eye in a brothel.
Nazario used similar narrative techniques in her book “Enrique's Journey,” about a Honduran boy who traveled through Mexico on top of a freight train on an odyssey to find his mother. In telling her story, Nazario retraced his route atop the trains Enrique traveled.
During the question-and-answer session, event moderator C. David Kotok, managing editor of The World-Herald, asked Nazario and Kristof about their willingness to take risks while on assignment.
Surprisingly, both journalists indicated they were cautious.
“No story is worth risking your life over,” Nazario said. “You have to make it back to write the story.”
Kristof agreed, though he noted that bad things can happen even when you take precautions.
“During my first trip to the Congo, my plane crashed,” he said. “And then I got malaria.”
Despite the dangers of foreign reporting, Kristof made an urgent appeal to student journalists to travel abroad and report what they see.
“Everyone in this room is so lucky that we've all essentially won life's lottery,” Kristof said. “So we have a responsibility to engage.”
Contact the writer:
444-1076, john.pitcher@owh.com
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