Age28

Location Paris

What are you working on now?
I'm working on a piece on sex trafficking in Italy. Not your run of the mill French burgundy wine story, although those tend to be more fun.

What has been your most difficult project of late and how did you deal with its challenges?
One of the most difficult projects I had recently was working on the subject of Islamic extremism. When you have people sitting in front of you saying they're willing to do the impossible for Islam, it's disheartening and even a little frightening. As a journalist, you are occasionally put in positions to confront things that you may not want to really know about; stories that make your stomach turn. By the same token, sometimes, there are stories that fill you with hope and inspiration. To deal with the former challenges, which can be rather difficult, you need to be very grounded. Family can ground you.

What's the most helpful thing you've learned about writing?
The most helpful thing about writing is to keep doing it in all forms possible, don't just do journalism, but branch out. Learn radio, film and other types of writing. Push yourself to explore the tantalizing varieties of writing forms. Do a little every day. Stay open to things, sensations, environments, moods and people when writing a piece. Try to think about structure and usually begin your stories around a place even if you're writing about other people.

What's been the worst advice you've ever received about writing/journalism?
The worst advice I received was to go to school to learn how to do it. I started a PhD program in political science, but never went to J school or writing school. Some things are better learned on the job, in life, and on the ground.

If you were to give advice to someone who was going to begin a job at a foreign office of a publication, what would you tell them (about their job, acclimating to a new place, etc?)
Working in a foreign office is fantastic. It's worth all the hassle of dealing with living in another culture and resettling. What I would suggest is to first learn the other language, because you probably won't have time on the job.

One of the downsides if you work for an American publication is that the foreign news often is really lacking. You are quite limited in your subject matter depending on the publication. Some editors want news that has to do with Iraq and tend to be set on the notion that Iraq is all that Americans care about reading. There is so much going on around the world that is interesting and pertinent. I get really annoyed when editors and writers get narrow-minded. The radio seems much more open to foreign news. If you work in the radio the notion that listeners only care about Iraq is quite the reverse, especially if you work for the BBC, which is much more international.

In print, for major American newspapers, often the news gets somewhat dumbed down and will probably fulfill the stereotypes you have about the world. The general assumption is that an American reader is truly ignorant about things foreign. I tend to be on the side that believes that readers can be and are much more sophisticated. Also, readers should develop the acquired taste of learning and caring about world issues. Journalists need to challenge readers to think a little so that after reading an article they come away with something new. Readers should learn a little more about the rest of the world, because we can't avoid it. Nothing is more dangerous for Americans than ignorance about what's happening abroad. It can come back to haunt us. Also, the important thing to remember as a journalist is that you're a kind of modern-day historian. What will carry your story in the end is good writing and good subjects.