2015 Review Winter

order stories (continued from pg. 32)
What are some of the kinds of hazards
you confront in your work?
The daily one is accuracy. We’ve been
given a great responsibility and getting
something wrong is like a punch in
the gut. Additionally, we do our best
to mitigate risks to personal safety and
the safety of our sources. In hostile
areas, our sources who stay behind and
continue on with their lives are always
more vulnerable than we are.
Have you ever received any backlash
from your stories?
Oh sure. Nothing specific comes to
mind. But I have certainly been on the
receiving end of some rants, as well as
some very thoughtful critiques of my
work. Local politics in suburban Florida
has probably been the touchiest arena.
But, it’s nice to be reminded that people
care so passionately about things. It’s a
sign of a healthy democracy.
What issues are most important to you
and why? And/or, what interests you
about the issues you cover; and, why
are they important to you, and to your
readership?
Telling the stories of people at the
margins whether due to geography,
poverty or bias is important to me. These
are the people who have fewer resources
to work the system, and thus, less of a
voice. But, they’re often the ones who
feel the impact of government decisions
most acutely. I try to highlight elements—
emotions, aspirations, struggles—
common to individuals, even if the
context in which they find themselves
living is very different. As a reader, that’s
how I relate to someone living a reality
far different from my own.
What do you love most about your work?
What do you find most rewarding?
I’m a naturally curious person. So, having
the license to dig into things and get
paid for doing it is a thrill. The reward is
seeing some small impact from your work,
whether it’s just hearing from a reader
who has a new understanding of a subject,
or actually seeing a shift in someone’s
actions or policy. I get to meet a rich array
of people and learn about their lives.
Is there an article or articles that you
are most proud of? Why?
I felt good about our coverage last year
of the surge in unaccompanied child
immigrants crossing the Texas-Mexico
border. Drawing on the geographic
breadth of the AP, we were able to
explain what was happening from the
points of origin in Honduras, Guatemala
and El Salvador to the dangers of
human smuggling through Mexico to
the U.S. government’s response once
the immigrants crossed into Texas. My
experience on the border enabled me
to provide some valuable context to a
public discussion that quickly turned
overheated and hyperbolic.
Chris Sherman near Falfurrias, Texas investigating a story about immigrants with the local sheriff and rancher.
When did you know you wanted to
become a journalist? What inspired
this career choice?
It’s almost embarrassing now to think
how long it took me to figure it out. I
was already a couple years out of college
and still fishing around for what I
wanted to do. I loved newspapers and
always turned first to international
stories. I travelled whenever possible.
After a year studying in Spain, and
another year working in Argentina, I was
smitten with living abroad. I wanted to
gain a deeper understanding that only
comes from living in a place. I enjoyed
trying to explain these places to family
and friends. It just took me awhile to
34 Review • Winter 2015