Your raconteur
AS A NEWS JUNKY, journalism professor, former newspaper editor and reporter, I am passionate about blogging, journalism, teaching, cruising on luxury yachts, and motorcycles … in that order.
Most who know me personally will not recognize me in a coat and tie. It’s not my usual garb. Image was taken in April at a formal even in Hollywood. Click image to enlarge. © SGE, Inc.
Recently, I have started reporting writing for publication again – most furiously at this blog, which was registered on Sunday, April 28, 2013 with WordPress, then immediately activated by NetworkSolutions.
I love my job as professor of journalism at Pasadena City College, but am always open to exciting new ventures and adventures.
I have had quite a few of those in the past six months. Had you asked a year ago, I would never have dreamed in my entire life that I would have five trips abroad – before October: the British Virgin Islands; Guadalaja, Mexico; Sweden; Britain; and Canada were visited before August.
Most notable was my trip to the Middle East at a moment’s notice in September when everyone thought President Obama was about to drop a boatload of Tomahawks on Syria.
I always dreamed of being a war correspondent. I had hired Alex Ghawi, whom I met in Sweden, to report for In the (K)now from Egypt during the upheaval in July – the novice reporter did a great job as I held his hand (metaphorically) from Canada where I was visiting at the time (my phone bill was through the roof in August!)
Just enter “Egypt” or “Greece” in the search box above to see Alex’s dispatches from the front lines.
So I jumped on a plane Sept. 7 and hit the ground running at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
When President Obama announced (late afternoon in Jerusalem) that he was halting the debate in Congress to consider the Russian diplomatic deal, I was crestfallen.
There would be no “war.”
I rushed to the American Colony (hotel and bar) where I knew all the foreign correspondents could be found. There I met three members of a London-based crew from CNN who filled me in on the previous four hours of breaking news.
We cried into our beers.
How on earth would we feed the beast?
They had a 24-hour news cycle to fill; my ticket home was seven days hence.
You can see a tiny bit of the back-story to this memorable evening at Transcontinental whiplash as Syria debate see-saws.
Names and other minutiae have been omitted for purposes of discretion, Scottie!
The easiest way to discover my solution is to click this link to Israel and scroll down a couple of screens to see the feature stories written on the fly and on deadline.
You can be sure that – as the news dictates and resources allow – I will go where the story is, to bring it back to you, wherever you may be.
I WORK FAST on deadline, can do “breaking” opinion in response to fast breaking news (like the government shutdown) and also deep analysis.
Features are fun, for you and for me.
You should be aware that for me, as a seasoned journalist, blogging is scary: Every previous published word I authored was subjected to the rigorous editing process of newspapers.
It has taken a huge adjustment to fly without that net. Forgive the mistakes; to borrow from the famous web site, we “regret the error.”
What I have recently rediscovered is that most life experiences generate stories worth telling. Whether they be artists or motorcycle riders, creative folks from all walks of life who are open to the universe, just love to share their stories.
I have learned to listen.
For you, dear reader, I am the raconteur.
Welcome Aboard!
Warren Swil
“Make it so, Dr. Spock!”
