Linn’s Year Ablog

The is the sort of introductory letter I was writing, rewriting and copy-pasting often when I first arrived in South Africa (and before and since):

Dear Mr. Important Journalist, sir,

I hope this email finds you healthy, friendly and in a generous spirit.

Due to the nepotism and professional incest in your industry, Ms. Whatser Face suggested I mention her name in paragraph two, and she gave me your email. She wishes you a Happy New Year — and that you would “mow [your] damn lawn.” She lost a cat in there last week.

I’m a recent university graduate from the US, and I’ve just arrived in Johannesburg to begin a one-year independent project related to public-interest and investigative journalism. With funding from a Watson Fellowship (www.watsonfellowship.org), I hope to shadow working journalists, work with media-related NGOs and visit journalism schools. I plan to undertake several semi-internships in Joburg before moving to Cape Town in December, and I’ll continue on to India in February 2009.

I selected South Africa and India following hours of deliberative meditation. In addition, both countries have elephants.

The purpose of my project is partly to engage in research and observation and partly to gain personal journalistic experience. In the process, I hope to discover what day-to-day challenges and incentives journalists encounter in doing in-depth reporting on contemporary issues, particularly corruption and government accountability.

I also plan to see elephants, and I would particularly appreciate your assistance in this matter.

Thank you in advance for any leads you can provide, and I’ll look forward to your reply. I’ve attached a CV to this email as additional background. If you read it to the end, you’ll find secret directions to hidden treasure.

Many kind regards,

Linn