John Davison, Journalist and Foreign Correspondent, La Châtaigneraie, 2003
John Davison
La Châtaigneraie, 2003
Journalist and Foreign Correspondent
Switzerland
Find out more about me:
I work as a journalist and foreign correspondent. I have spent the last 10 years living in the Middle East, reporting on conflict and the fallout from years of war and instability. My last posting was as Iraq Bureau Chief for the international news agency Reuters. I lived in Baghdad for four years and led our coverage of Iraq and north-eastern Syria. I’m on a career break now and back in Switzerland taking some rest and learning Russian - a sign of where the news is focused at the moment, but also an interest I’ve always had.
It’s difficult to pick just one Ecolint memory! I had a great time at Ecolint. The International Baccalaureate (IB) was hard work and excellent preparation for higher education, but I don’t reminisce (much) about sitting in classrooms. I remember the extra-curricular activities, the school trips, the great teachers, and the friends I made. I played rugby for the foundation, so crisp autumn evenings training with classmates and our coach Tristan Bernard were a highlight, I performed in several school jazz concerts, organized by music head John Aram and promoted by my mum...
The first year of university seemed a breeze compared to the workload of the IB. But I also found, thanks to the range of friends I’d made at Ecolint from different backgrounds, that it was easy for me to blend in with different groups outside. Speaking a second language fluently (French) helped, and it also helped with my subject, Arabic and History. The real world was also a shock sometimes. At Ecolint we’re incredibly privileged. We have a good education and a nurturing environment. Most people don’t get to have that.
If I could do it all over again, I would study a third language at IB. Languages were one of my strengths, and I’ve never used my science subjects, which I didn’t do well on anyway. I’d be more curious academically. There’s not a lot else I’d change. No regrets at all!
My words of wisdom for Ecolint students: difficult not to sound preachy here, but…
1) Put your phone down and pick up a book. We get bombarded by digital information every day. Step away from it.
2) Work hard but find time to play and explore, to rest and to think.
3) Put yourself out of your comfort zone, and try new things.
4) Relish your education and your opportunities at Ecolint - make the most of it!
What legacy do you want to leave? I’d like my work to have an impact, to help people now or in the future looking for reliable, accurate information about what happened in the places I and my colleagues reported on, especially when people were hurt or rights abused. At some point I’d like to help the next generation learn how to report and to uncover the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that is. But I also want to make people laugh. In this line of work and in today’s world we need a lot of laughter.