'You can't rewind the movie'

 

“It'sa journalist's job to be a witness to history. We're not there to worry aboutourselves. We're there to try and get as near as we can, in an imperfect world,to the truth and get the truth out.” –  Robert Fisk Born in July of 1939 (he died of a stroke in 2020), Englishwriter and journalist Fisk grew up in the rural environs of England but becamea reporter of the world.  A longtime Middle East correspondent for various media - but primarily for TheIndependent - he worked from Beirut, Lebanon, intermittently one of the“hottest” of the Middle East hotspots.  His reporting has earned himaccolades from world leaders, the public, and his fellow journalists, and he was voted British InternationalJournalist of the Year seven times.  He earned more British and international journalism awards thanany other foreign correspondent and published a number of books based onmany of the wars and armed conflicts he covered, including the bestseller The Age of the Warrior: Selected Writings. 
  Despite his many accolades, Fisk saidcovering war and people’s suffering took a toll on his ownwell-being.                              “I'm not sure whether I've beenhappy,” he said about his career. “After my last book tour, I sat on my balcony with a cup oftea. I thought: 'You can't rewind the movie. I've spent more than half my lifein the Middle East. There have been great moments, of course, but also greatmoments of horror, depression and loneliness.'"