How does working for a local newspaper in the UK compare to chasing stories in Africa?
Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, is home to The Chronicle newspaper Looking back to my clueless days before venturing to Africa, I had little idea of what working at a Malawi newspaper would be like. I had agreed, or rather begged, to work on a paper called The Chronicle. Now this is not one of the well-off, state-owned newspapers but a fiercely independent one, which operates from a shoestring office in the dusty capital Lilongwe and is frequently prone to Government harassment. My initial welcome was rather a shock. Sat down over a cup of tea and biscuit, the owner, Pushpa Jamieson, told me of a time she had AK47s thrust in her chest as she photographed a riot. Her husband, the paper’s editor, Rob, had also been beaten, while the office was raided by government thugs who stole computers and cameras. When she asked me, with a twinkle in her eye, if I wanted to go home after hearing that, I nervously choked on my biscuit before saying “No”, a bit too defiantly. Chasing stories Shock nu
