Jeremy Wagstaff - Journalism Work

Journalism Work

Wagstaff has worked as a journalist since 1986 for the BBC, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. He held various positions from correspondent to editor. Prior to joining BBC, he worked as freelance journalist for a magazine writing about espionage and politics. Thereafter, most of his time has been spent in Asia, covering revolutions, wars, colonial retreats and elections, including the Burmese uprising in 1988, the guerrilla war in Cambodia from 1987 to 1991, Thailand's popular uprising in 1992, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 1996, the transfer of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, the independence movement in East Timor from 1993 until 1999, and the fall of Suharto and its aftermath in Indonesia from 1998 until now. On his experience being an international journalist, he said:

"During this period I have found myself in the midst of extraordinary events in unusual places, from the fall of Kabul to Taleban guerrillas to the student uprising against the Burmese military government in 1988. I have been shot at by Thai soldiers, come under mortar fire from Afghan rebels and had my car assaulted by Indonesian transvestite prostitutes."