Syria 2013
F. Scott Bobb
Voice of America Jerusalem, Israel
scottbobb@gmail.com
www.scottbobb.com
PERSONAL
Journalist with years of experience in international journalism as foreign correspondent, manager, broadcaster and trainer for the Voice of America, a 24-hour multimedia news operation disseminating via radio, television and internet in 43 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 145 million people. Skilled at reporting, writing, editing and producing television, radio and internet reports using Word, Audition and Final Cut Pro applications among others.
EMPLOYMENT
2011-present Chief, Middle East Bureau, Voice of America, Jerusalem, Israel
Chief and Correspondent of the VOA bureau responsible for coverage of Israel and the Palestinian territories and regional events that impact them. Reporting included on-the-ground coverage of the fighting in Libya and Syria with travel to Benghazi, Tripoli and Misrata, Libya, and various rebel-held areas of northern Syria; and coverage of the Syrian refugee influx in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Received David Burke Award for coverage of Syria's civil war.
2006-2011 Chief, Southern Africa Bureau , Voice of America, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Chief and Regional Correspondent of a bureau that provided news coverage via radio, television and internet in English, French and Portuguese of 14 countries in southern Africa. Coordinated coverage of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa, covered violence in Zimbabwe, and assisted in covering the Beijing Olympics, South Sudan referendum and uprising in eastern Libya.
2001-2006 Chief, Southeast Asia Bureau, Voice of America, Bangkok, Thailand.
As Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent, managed an office that provided multi-media news coverage of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and East Timor. Received VOA Silver Medal Award.
1998-2001 Chief, Middle East Bureau, Voice of America, Cairo, Egypt.
Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent of a bureau that provided news coverage via radio, television and internet in English, Arabic and French of 24 Middle Eastern and northern African countries from Morocco to Iran.
1996-1997 Director, News Division, Voice of America, Washington
Directed the central news operation of the international broadcasting network with an estimated weekly audience at that time of 90 million. Responsible for accuracy and objectivity of all major news broadcast in VOA’s 54 languages, 660 hours per week via radio, satellite, television and internet. Managed 200-member staff of a 24-hour news operation that included 18 overseas and eight domestic bureaus, 60 writers and editors producing a central file of news stories, and 60 English language broadcasters producing live news programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
1993-1996 Chief of Correspondents, Voice of America, Washington
Headed Assignments Desk of nine editors overseeing the work of 40 correspondents and 100 freelance stringers reporting from VOA’s eight domestic and 18 foreign bureaus. Instituted programs to enhance central reportage by expanding exchanges with broadcasters and language services. Oversaw cost savings measures which reduced overall budget from $8.4 million to $4.9 million in three years.
1990-1993 Chief, East Africa Bureau, Voice of America, Nairobi, Kenya
Reported on 16 countries in East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean and managed the regional bureau. Covered civil wars, in Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. Reported on elections in Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar and on ecological, economic and social issues throughout the region.
1985-1990 Chief, South America Bureau, Voice of America, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Provided news coverage of 10 countries of South America and managed the regional bureau. Reported in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese on the end of the military dictatorships in South America, democratic elections, ecology issues in the Amazon and Antarctica, and the drug wars in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Nominated for a Peabody Award for a ten-part series on the Amazon.
1982-1985 Chief, West Africa Bureau, Voice of America, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Reported on 25 countries of West and Central Africa and managed regional bureau. Reported in English and French on breaking news, including military coup in Nigeria, civil war in Chad and drought and famine in the Sahel.
EDUCATION
MA International Communications, University of Texas, Austin.
BA Romance Languages and Literature, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.
High School Diploma, Choate School, Wallingford, CT.
LANGUAGES
• Fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese.
• Communication ability in Lingala, Swahili, Arabic.
PUBLICATIONS
• Historical Dictionary of Democratic Republic of Congo, 3rd ed., Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ, 2010, 650-page reference book with 100-page bibliography, 2nd edition published in1999, 1st edition published in 1988.
• Articles in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Africa Report Magazine, Sepia Magazine.
TRAINING EXPERIENCE
• Seminar on the the turmoil in the Middle East to residents of Westminster Manor Retirement Center, Austin, Texas, July 2012.
• Seminar on reporting on the soccer World Cup with South African journalists, Reuters Foundation, March 2010.
• Seminar on objective political reporting with local journalists prior to elections in Burundi, April 1993, USIA.
• Seminar on balanced political reporting to Nigeria journalist's seminar, Lagos, Nigeria, USIA, October 1982.
• Presentations on international journalism to high school journalism, history and current events classes, 1982-2005.
AWARDS
Voice of America Jerusalem, Israel
scottbobb@gmail.com
www.scottbobb.com
PERSONAL
Journalist with years of experience in international journalism as foreign correspondent, manager, broadcaster and trainer for the Voice of America, a 24-hour multimedia news operation disseminating via radio, television and internet in 43 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 145 million people. Skilled at reporting, writing, editing and producing television, radio and internet reports using Word, Audition and Final Cut Pro applications among others.
EMPLOYMENT
2011-present Chief, Middle East Bureau, Voice of America, Jerusalem, Israel
Chief and Correspondent of the VOA bureau responsible for coverage of Israel and the Palestinian territories and regional events that impact them. Reporting included on-the-ground coverage of the fighting in Libya and Syria with travel to Benghazi, Tripoli and Misrata, Libya, and various rebel-held areas of northern Syria; and coverage of the Syrian refugee influx in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Received David Burke Award for coverage of Syria's civil war.
2006-2011 Chief, Southern Africa Bureau , Voice of America, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Chief and Regional Correspondent of a bureau that provided news coverage via radio, television and internet in English, French and Portuguese of 14 countries in southern Africa. Coordinated coverage of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa, covered violence in Zimbabwe, and assisted in covering the Beijing Olympics, South Sudan referendum and uprising in eastern Libya.
2001-2006 Chief, Southeast Asia Bureau, Voice of America, Bangkok, Thailand.
As Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent, managed an office that provided multi-media news coverage of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and East Timor. Received VOA Silver Medal Award.
1998-2001 Chief, Middle East Bureau, Voice of America, Cairo, Egypt.
Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent of a bureau that provided news coverage via radio, television and internet in English, Arabic and French of 24 Middle Eastern and northern African countries from Morocco to Iran.
1996-1997 Director, News Division, Voice of America, Washington
Directed the central news operation of the international broadcasting network with an estimated weekly audience at that time of 90 million. Responsible for accuracy and objectivity of all major news broadcast in VOA’s 54 languages, 660 hours per week via radio, satellite, television and internet. Managed 200-member staff of a 24-hour news operation that included 18 overseas and eight domestic bureaus, 60 writers and editors producing a central file of news stories, and 60 English language broadcasters producing live news programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
1993-1996 Chief of Correspondents, Voice of America, Washington
Headed Assignments Desk of nine editors overseeing the work of 40 correspondents and 100 freelance stringers reporting from VOA’s eight domestic and 18 foreign bureaus. Instituted programs to enhance central reportage by expanding exchanges with broadcasters and language services. Oversaw cost savings measures which reduced overall budget from $8.4 million to $4.9 million in three years.
1990-1993 Chief, East Africa Bureau, Voice of America, Nairobi, Kenya
Reported on 16 countries in East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean and managed the regional bureau. Covered civil wars, in Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. Reported on elections in Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar and on ecological, economic and social issues throughout the region.
1985-1990 Chief, South America Bureau, Voice of America, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Provided news coverage of 10 countries of South America and managed the regional bureau. Reported in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese on the end of the military dictatorships in South America, democratic elections, ecology issues in the Amazon and Antarctica, and the drug wars in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Nominated for a Peabody Award for a ten-part series on the Amazon.
1982-1985 Chief, West Africa Bureau, Voice of America, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Reported on 25 countries of West and Central Africa and managed regional bureau. Reported in English and French on breaking news, including military coup in Nigeria, civil war in Chad and drought and famine in the Sahel.
EDUCATION
MA International Communications, University of Texas, Austin.
BA Romance Languages and Literature, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.
High School Diploma, Choate School, Wallingford, CT.
LANGUAGES
• Fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese.
• Communication ability in Lingala, Swahili, Arabic.
PUBLICATIONS
• Historical Dictionary of Democratic Republic of Congo, 3rd ed., Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ, 2010, 650-page reference book with 100-page bibliography, 2nd edition published in1999, 1st edition published in 1988.
• Articles in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Africa Report Magazine, Sepia Magazine.
TRAINING EXPERIENCE
• Seminar on the the turmoil in the Middle East to residents of Westminster Manor Retirement Center, Austin, Texas, July 2012.
• Seminar on reporting on the soccer World Cup with South African journalists, Reuters Foundation, March 2010.
• Seminar on objective political reporting with local journalists prior to elections in Burundi, April 1993, USIA.
• Seminar on balanced political reporting to Nigeria journalist's seminar, Lagos, Nigeria, USIA, October 1982.
• Presentations on international journalism to high school journalism, history and current events classes, 1982-2005.
AWARDS
- VOA David Burke Award for Distinguished Journalism, coverage of Syrian civil war, 2012-13.
- VOA Silver Medal Award for coverage of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 2003.
- Nominated for Peabody Award for radio series on environmental issues in the Amazon, 1987.
- More than one dozen VOA awards for excellence in programming, 1982-2012.