Article August 13, 2012 Issue

In danger, a reporter prays

Kim Shippey

Wherever news is being made in the world, it’s easy to get caught in a steel trap called despair. To feel so ensnarled in emotional barbed wire that you cannot believe that good will ever triumph again.

That’s how I felt years ago when I was reporting for three international broadcasting organizations on a South African rugby tour of Australia. Anti-apartheid protesters had set out to disrupt as many of these “Springbok” games as possible, and I was caught in the frenzy.

One afternoon, marchers targeted a game in Melbourne, where local radio producers had persuaded me to work from a platform 40 feet above the ground. They felt this would keep me from harm and ensure a perfect view of the proceedings, plus provide good sound quality for their live broadcast. The stadium gates had been locked, and several hundred police officers guarded the perimeter of the field.