WRITING
AND
RESEARCH:
Frederic
A.
Moritz has practiced,
researched,and written about human rights reporting
for more than two decades -- first as a foreign correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor
-- then as a teacher of journalism and Asian studies at Penn State
University and Bucknell University. To
view a sample of his articles in The
Monitor going back to 1980, click here,
choose category "advanced search" and enter "Frederic A. Moritz."
Since 1988 he has been researching the history and
methods of American foreign correspondence focusing on how human rights
reporting can act as an international "watchdog," sometimes powerfully
impacting US public opinion in crises areas such as Bosnia and Iraq.
His writings, available as an online book, American Human Rights
Reporting as a Global Watchdog seek to:
*Develop an overall framework for better understanding the economic,
cultural and technological conditions under which American media
spotlight overseas abuses in a way which impacts American attitudes,
politics, and policies.
*Spotlight the sometimes fine line between distorted sensationalism
producing stereotypes and propaganda about overseas events and
insightful exposure of overseas brutality in a way which encourages
constructive action by governments and peoples in America and elsewhere.
*Explore the inherent selectivity of American human rights journalism,
as shaped by technology, politics, culture, and the logic of history.
*Explore the way in which American human rights reporting can act as a
"gateway" to produce or justify war.
*Illuminate the circumstances under which American journalists have
ignored or papered over massive abuse - such as in the cases of Hitler
and Stalin.
*Examine the impact of changing technology of global human rights
reporting in media such as television and the Internet. New
technologies have cut information barriers, helped human rights
advocates gain media attention, and visually dramatized bloody
government crackdowns and emaciating famines.
Moritz maintains a longtime interest is the relationship
between journalism and intelligence analysis going back to his days of
reporting Chinese policy and intentions while Asia correspondent for
the Monitor, 1976 to 1981.
JOURNALISM:
1984 to 1990: Frequent contributor of op.ed.
columns and other articles to The Christian Science
Monitor writing on human rights issues, and
relations among the US and countries in Asia and the Pacific with
special emphasis on China, Southeast Asia. Also involved writing on how
US media cover Asia and the Pacific.
1981 to 1984: After returning to the US in Summer 1981,
developer of a Boston-based human rights
beat, writing on a variety of Asian and international
issues.
1976 to 1981: Asia Correspondent
of The Christian Science Monitor, based
for
four
years
in
Hong Kong and one year in Singapore. Responsibilities
included news coverage from all East Asia concentrating on China and
Southeast Asia.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE:
As Asia Correspondent for The Christian Science
Monitor (1976 to 1981) traveled and reported from China, South
Korea, the Philippines, Laos, western Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India,
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia. Spent about 50 percent
of the time on the road from a base in Hong Kong (1976 to 1980) and
Singapore (1980 to 1981).
His foreign correspondence covered the Asian origins of the "Second
Cold War," detailed in this account of
how in late 1978 he broke the the story of China's coming invasion of
Vietnam.
Coverage included the the origins in Asia of the "Second Cold War:"
growth of Soviet influence in Vietnam, massive Khmer Rouge repression
and human rights abuses in Cambodia, China's growing support for the
Khmer Rouge against Vietnam, Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia, China's
brief surprise invasion of Vietnam, and the political, cultural and
human rights implications of the massive outflow of Indochinese
refugees to other parts of Asia and on to the United States, Canada,
Australia, and other parts of the world.
Among other news, covered developments with global implications
including the death of Mao Zedong followed by transformation of Chinese
society under Deng Xiaoping and the normalization of US - China
relations. Covered the post Vietnam War Southeast Asia reshuffle that
led to a new stalemate pitting China, the US, and the anti-communist
Southeast Asian states against Vietnam and the Soviet Union.
OTHER MONITOR ASSIGNMENTS:
1974 to 1976: National
correspondent based in San Francisco. Covered California and regional
issues, as well as radical politics, including pursuit, capture, and
1976 trial of Patricia
Hearst. Won an American Bar
Association Golden Gavel Award Certificate of Merit for a four part
series on current innovations in police work, based on national travel
and reporting.
1971 to 1974: Began Monitor
career in Boston home office as "copy kid." Promoted
to Boston area reporting including general assignment, transportation
and environment coverage, and later assignment to Boston city hall.
Also edited and wrote a national and international news summary and
feature page.
TEACHING:
August 2003 to December 2009: Lecturer in journalism, East
Carolina
University, Greenville.
January to
June 2002: Visiting lecturer in journalism at North
Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro.
January to
December 2000: Adjunct instructor in journalism, University
of
Maine, Orono, Belfast.
September
1999 to December 2000: Adjunct instructor in writing, Unity
College, Unity, Maine.
1990
to
1991: Adjunct
Instructor, Department of Japanese and East Asian
Studies, Bucknell University. Taught interdisciplinary course:
"Communications and the Political Economy of East Asia."
1984
to
1988: Associate
Professor, School of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University.
Taught public affairs reporting assigning students to cover local
government; electronic editing, layout and design involving production
of a weekly class newspaper; and media coverage of foreign policy
issues, involving student research into comparative media coverage.
Summers
1986,
1987: Ran a journalism
seminar
and
writing
program
as a writing coach for summer interns and
junior staff at The Christian
Science Monitor in Boston.
1983 to 1984:
Adjunct
Lecturer
in
modern
Chinese history, Suffolk University, Boston;
Edward R. Murrow Fellow in Public Diplomacy, Fletcher School,
Medford, Mass.
CAMPUS JOURNALISM:
1986 to 1988: On the
Board of Directors of The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student
daily.
SURVEY
RESEARCH:
1989 to 1990: As Research
Associate, East Asian Studies Center, Penn State University
responsible for developing and carrying out survey research on
attitudes of American academics specializing in international affairs
toward Taiwan and other parts of Asia.
EDUCATION:
Earned MS at Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism (1971). Studied social work at Boston
College's Graduate School of Social Work, (1995-1996).
History and political science at Oberlin College (BA 1963) and the
University of California, Berkeley (MA 1964, CPHIL. 1968).
After completion of course work and preliminary examinations, advanced
to candidacy for the Ph.D. in political science, 1968 with major field
in East Asian politics and minors in American government and
international relations. Studies involved history and politics of
China, and Southeast Asia, as well as Japan, the Koreas, and India.
Studies included the Soviet Union and other communist states.
Spent 1968 to 1969 in Hong Kong studying Chinese language at New Asia
College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Also was a political
science teaching assistant at United College of the Chinese University
of Hong Kong under a University of California exchange program.
Continued doctoral research on China's national minorities policy at
the University Service Center in Hong Kong. Continued study of Chinese
in Taiwan as a National Defense Education Act Fellow (1969-1970).
COMPUTERS:
Customer/Technical Support Representative with The
Internet Access Company, Bedford, MA (1996-1997). Assisted and
troubleshooted with both MAC and PC users on connectivity issues and
web site maintenance.
Computer skills developed both at
The Christian Science Monitor, The York Daily
Record and at The Pennsylvania State University included Atex
mainframe writing and editing, laptop computers such as the Tandy Model
100, and other computers including the Compugraphic editing system, IBM
compatibles, and a variety of Macintoshes.
Have incorporated teaching on the use
of databases into Penn State's advanced reporting course. Have trained
on Knowledge Index, VU/TEXT, and CompuServe, all serving as preparation
for teaching and publishing on the internet.
RADIO:
An interest in radio led to a
period of contributing Asian news reports, analysis, and interviews for
National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" from 1977
to 1980, while stationed in Hong Kong. International short-wave radio
has been used both as a news source for writing and for 1987-8
consulting work for WCSN, the short-wave affiliate of The
Christian Science Monitor.
LANGUAGES:
Began Chinese study at the
University of California, Berkeley in 1967; continued in Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Columbia University, New York, and with private tutors in
Boston.
CONFERENCE PLANNING:
Consultant and organizer
assisting The Christian Science Monitor in planning a
conference for journalism school students entitled "Press
Responsibility and the Third World," held in Boston March, 1987.
Professors and two students each attended from about 150 schools.
CONSULTING:
1987 to 1988: Consultant
and trainer for WCSN, the short-wave affiliate of The
Christian Science Monitor. Evaluation of
programming and development of training materials, beginning August
1987.
