'Never before had I landed in a country with such a clear and
resolute sense of how I planned to report on it. Determined to avoid ravenous
sharks, randy koalas and rampant cane toads, I decided there would be no Antipodean
animal stories. Then, within days of touching down in Sydney, a stingray lanced
Steve Irwin in the heart and his memorial service became my baptism -'
Arriving
in Australia after ten years as a highly respected foreign correspondent for the
BBC, Nick Bryant was seasoned in covering international affairs. Having been the
broadcaster's Washington correspondent during the 9/11 attacks, embedded with
US troops in Afghanistan and also on the ground in Pakistan, it was time to face
an intriguing new challenge: reporting Australia.
After covering the 9/11
beat, Nick thought he was in for a quiet time, but ended up reporting on five
of the busiest years in Australian history. They included the fall of two Prime
Ministers, the worst wildfires in the country's history, the worst floods, the
worst drought in a hundred years and an historic national apology to Aborigines.
Nick
reports on how Bill Clinton reacted when, in front of a ballroom of over 2000
people, he had to present the award for 'Journalist of the Year' to the reporter
who had discovered the existence of Monica Lewinsky's little blue dress?
Why
did the media report on the night that Princess Diana was killed in a Paris underpass
that she was alive when correspondents knew she was dead? How did Bono help save
the Northern Ireland peace process? What were international journalists really
saying about Prime Minister Rudd?
'Adventures in Correspondentland' follows
Nick around the world and back home to Australia, where he has covered events
such as the national apology to Indigenous Australians, the Victorian bushfires
and the 2011 Queensland floods. Told with fresh, funny and revealing insight,
Nick dishes on the inside story of the dangers, delights and diversions of life
as a foreign correspondent.
Nick Bryant was born in Bristol, England, and
works in Australia for the BBC as one of its most trusted and senior foreign correspondents.
He is a regular contributor to several Australian magazines and newspapers, including
The Australian, The Spectator, The Monthly and The Australian Literary Review.
Nick studied history at Cambridge and has a doctorate in American politics from
Oxford. He lives in Sydney with wife and son.
'Adventures
In Correspondentland' is available now.
