Frank Langfitt has spent his journalism career covering some of the most difficult stories in order to share them with the public. He traveled on horseback with Tibetan nomads, reported on the Afghan War from Pakistan and Kashmir and has been a key reporter on national issues.

 

2008 Interview:

AMIGOS: How did your involvement in AMIGOS impact your life?

Frank: My summer in Mexico gave me the confidence to head off to all sorts of off-beat places and take risks. I moved to China as a reporter in the 1990s, sight unseen. Had I not done AMIGOS, there’s no way I would have been brave – or foolish – enough to do that.

 

AMIGOS: What was your AMIGOS experience like?

Frank: It was a great time. I remember getting dumped off the back of a truck in a tiny Mexican village with little more than a dictionary and dreadful Spanish. I slept in a hammock and shared a room with five kids. My partner, Teresa Johnson, and I taught them how to brush their teeth. After lots of mistakes, I learned how to organize a community with which I had almost nothing in common. In the end, the village built sixteen latrines — most of which were still in use when Teresa and I visited four years later.

 

AMIGOS: What is your favorite AMIGOS memory?

Frank: Playing guitar as the sun set over the mountains and my two, Mexican brothers — Pablo, 6, and Antonio, 8, — danced in the yard.

 

AMIGOS: What is your family like?

Frank: My wife, Julie, is a veterinarian. We have two, outgoing kids, Katie, 7, and Christopher, 4. We like to travel. Most recently they met me in Beijing after the Olympics. A favorite part of the trip was the kids running around the track in the Bird’s Nest the day after the closing ceremony.

 

AMIGOS: Have any of your family members been AMIGOS?

Frank: Yes, my nephew, David Langfitt, spent part of last summer in Costa Rica and had the time of his life.

 

AMIGOS: In what ways did your AMIGOS experience influence your career path?

Frank:  It was a turning point. I became very interested in the struggles of people in the developing world. As a journalist, I’ve traveled with Guatemalan refugees and on horseback with Tibetan nomads. I’ve also spent time with Chinese factory workers, war amputees in Vietnam and student protesters in Indonesia.

 

AMIGOS: What project are you currently working on?

Frank: It’s been a busy few months. After the Olympics, I covered the financial crisis. Now, I’m focusing on Detroit and the fate of the U.S. auto industry. In January, I’ll pitch in at the inauguration.

 

AMIGOS: You originally wrote for newspapers. What was it like switching to radio?

Frank: It was fun to try something new in mid-career. The transition felt natural. It’s actually easier to write in your own voice than in the more formal style of a newspaper.

 

AMIGOS: You have covered some interesting stories – the Sago coalmine disaster, political violence in Kashmir. What are your favorite types of stories to write?

Frank: I like digging out obscure, but important stories that tell listeners what’s really going on. I remember slipping into a Chinese village where the local government was literally kidnapping people and holding them for ransom. After Katrina, I stumbled into homeowners who lived along the breach in New Orleans’ 17th Street Canal. A year before, they had complained to the government about big leaks in the levee.

 

AMIGOS: Your journalism career has taken you across the world from China to India. Do you enjoy traveling to different countries to report?

Frank: I prefer far-flung places. Life is grittier and the stakes tend to be higher. I also think Americans need to know a lot more about other countries than they do. Until recently, I would have said news in the U.S. is more sedate, but now the two biggest stories on the planet are right here: the economic crisis and the new president.

 

AMIGOS: What advice would you give to someone entering into the journalism field?

Frank: Get a trust fund. Seriously, finding a good job is tough and I feel lucky to have the work I do. That said, I would encourage young people to learn all kinds of digital skills, including video, photography and audio. Also, travel a lot and take risks.

 

AMIGOS: Who is your biggest role model in your industry?

Frank: New Yorker writer and Pulitzer-prize winner John McPhee. He made a career profiling often obscure people who illustrated big themes.