On the Road is
a home for the stories behind the stories. Our members report on politics, poverty, the European Union, dalliances in the royal family — you name it, we cover it. Still, after we have filed, there is often so much more to say: some times about the story, other times about how we got the story. And then there is the whole unique experience of working as a foreign correspondent in London.
This is where On the Road steps in. It’s a space where our members can write the story behind the story, discuss journalistic issues, and flag some of the ideas that drive reportage.
Crime and No Punishment in Bosnia
by Ginanne Brownell
When Aida, my Bosnian translator, and I climb into the back of the patrol car officers Emir Lakota and Radaslic Sabahudin say that because it’s Ramadan and also a Monday, things will hopefully be quiet. As we speed off in their Volkswagen swinging passed parks, dimly lit alleys and through the hopping bar district they tell disheartening tale after tale of how the security and judicial systems in Bosnia have broken down ...
Save The Journalist! Hollywood’s Newest Endangered Species
by Ellin Stein
Now it’s really time to worry. Hollywood has started treating newspaper journalists with the same kind of anxious concern once reserved for polar bears, presenting them (us) as unpredictable but appealing creatures in serious danger of vanishing from the earth.
You need look no further than the current release The Soloist (a sort of Shine with a homeless African-American Unstable Brilliant Musician instead of a middle-class Australian-Jewish UBM) ...
Stalking U2
by Ginanne Brownell
Invariably the first question people ask when they find out I’m a journalist is who is the most famous person I’ve ever interviewed. When I give them an answer—George Clooney, Tony Blair and Beyonce usually elicit the biggest “oohs”—the follow up is, “Were you nervous?” And the answer is pretty much always, not really. Why? Well I tell people it’s because I am a professional and interviewing people is an ...
On the trail of Brad and Angelina in Cannes, I get a taste for truffles..
by Monique Jessen
When I tell my friends I’m off to the Cannes Film Festival to cover a week of celebrity parties and film premieres, the response is normally “Oh wow, your job is so glamorous” followed swiftly by a plea to pack them in my suitcase.
But after four years, I’ve learned that covering the festival is more a test of stamina and battling sleep deprivation than VIP treatment.. after all that’s for ...