Kristof shares: College and Congo | Audio New York Times columnist sits down with the Daily Pennsylvanian for a one-on-one interview By Kathy Wang 02/10/09 5:00am Listen to excerpts from reporter Kathy Wang's interview with Kristof. Before New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof spoke to a packed audience last night, he sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to discuss politics, catching malaria in the Congo and the future of journalism. The Daily Pennsylvanian: What led you to journalism and The New York Times? Nicholas Kristof: In eighth grade, there was a meeting of our student newspaper, and I didn't show up. None of those who did show up wanted to edit the paper because they thought it would be a lot of work, so they chose me. I did a lot of journalism in high school and college, but everybody in university was heading toward law. The one thing that made me want to pursue journalism was when I actually did study law. It didn't have the sense of fulfillment that journalism did. After studying law and Arabic, I was frantically looking for a job and landed at the Times. The idea that you walk around and talk to interesting people and get paid for it is pretty astonishing - don't tell my editors that or they'll take away the paid part. DP: What topics particularly interest you? NK: I have very little persuasive power if I write about something people know. Where I think I really can have an impact is if I shine my spotlight on something people haven't really noticed, and it forces them to pay attention, so Darfur is one area, sex trafficking is another. DP: Are there any issues you would like to see Barack Obama's presidency focus on? NK: It's a tremendous relief to have smart, intellectually curious people running the government again, but the challenges are going to be enormous. The Onion satirized that America gives black men the country's worst jobs. I used to feel that the nation's biggest failing was domestic health policy, but increasingly I've come to think that education is an even worse failing, and that lousy education, especially in urban areas, really traps people in poverty. DP: Have your experiences in Darfur impacted how you approach journalism? NK: Once you've seen the people out there and heard their stories, you just can't turn your back. DP: What topics have you not explored but would like to? NK: Education. And also food policy. I'm going this week to look at issues in antibiotics being fed to animals. DP: What's the most dangerous situation you've been in? NK: I had one trip to the Congo where, in the course of two-and-a-half weeks, I managed to get into a [potentially] fatal plane crash, ended up being chased in the jungle for a week by a militia that was busy killing people I was trying to report on and finally, in the process of being chased, caught malaria. DP: What do you see for the future of journalism? NK: If I were a 21-year-old Penn student, I'd be nervous about ... a profession whose business model was so incredibly uncertain, but I'm reasonably confident that one will be found. I just don't know exactly what it's going to look like. Sign up for our newsletter Get our newsletter, DP Daybreak, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up DP: What were you like as a college student? NK: I was actually a pretty boring, hard-working student. I did work a fair amount on The [Harvard] Crimson, and I did my share of partying, but I did put a real focus on academics. Related StoriesKristof moves audience with tales of war zones - NewsKristof will speak in Huntsman - News The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn. Donate PennConnects Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Comments powered by Disqus Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian. Most Read More Like This