There can come a time when reporters and photographers spend so much of their working lives immersed in covering one issue, one person or one country, that their relationship with the subject being covered becomes almost symbiotic.
Think of it as a detective who must know his or her suspect’s every thought and every move.
Where will they be today? What will they say today? Perhaps, more importantly, what can be confirmed today -- and what is the real reason behind the latest action?
Journalists assigned to cover Haiti under the Duvalier regimes -- Francois “Papa Doc,” and the son who took his place, even if reluctantly, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” -- have in many cases devoted more than 30 years of their professional lives trying to accurately present the story.
Sometimes more days and nights on the trail of the story than at home with their families.
So, when a life runs its course, as it did this past Saturday with Jean-Claude Duvalier, even the most seasoned journalists do some reflecting and remembering – now that the final deadline has been met.
Former Time Magazine correspondent and author Bernard Diederich and Miami-based photojournalist Maggie Steber share their thoughts on covering Duvalier.
