F E ATU RE S
Award-winning journalist Steve Sapienza visits, presents on crisis reporting
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
BY HAEJIN SONG
Staff Writer
"Whafs my beat?" asked Emmy Award-winning
journalist and documentary producer Steve Sapienza. "My
beat is human security."
Sapienza visited Guilford on Sept. 26 and 27 through
the school's connection with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis
Reporting. Last year, along with Wake Forest University and
High Point University, Guilford College joined the Pulitzer
Center's Campus Consortium, a program that brings top
journalists to the Triad to discuss and raise awareness of
underreported global topics.
A former senior producer for "Foreign Exchange with
Fareed Zakaria" and recipient of a CINE Golden Eagle
and a News & Documentary Emmy, Sapienza spoke to the
Journalism class about his approach to video journalism,
placing emphasis on avoiding typical news structure and
finding a compelling human character on whom to focus.
"(Sapienza) wants to, in a very non-cliche way, make
the world a better place through his reporting," said senior
Josh Ballard, journalism class student. "He seemed like he
wanted students to do the same, or at least take a good look
.at the world around them and try to make a difference."
The following day, Sapienza spoke during a reception and
gave an evening presentation in the East Gallery of Founders
Hall. He primarily discussed specific issues with Peru's gold
mining.
With gold in high demand and gold prices rising up to
$1,800 per ounce, many Peruvians have turned to small-
scale gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon. However, it's
not all smiles and profits for those involved in and affected
by the activity.
"To produce an ounce of gold, it takes two ounces of
mercury," said Sapienza. "In Madre de Dios, they are
extracting 25 tons of gold a year which means 50 tons of
mercury is coming into contact with the environment."
"...the small-
scale miners had
burned down the
government's
I •! I*
Journalist Steve Sapienza speaks at an informal gathering on
Sept. 27. His talks covered issues such as Peruvian gold mining.
Thousands of miners use mercury to extract gold from
the soil. When they have an amalgam of gold and mercury,
they take it to gold shops where shop owners cook off the
mercury and release mercury vapors into the atmosphere.
This harms not only the environment but also the health of
many locals.
"I talked to these miners who mix mercury and gold with
their bare hands and feet," said Sapienza. "When I asked
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them if they were worried about their health, they said that
it was only bad for pregnant women."
Local governors have attempted to shut down illegal
mining businesses and enact stricter laws. Rather than
complying with the authorities, miners have revolted, taken
over towns, and terrorized townspeople.
"I met the local governor in this big, new, beautiful
building that was built to welcome tourists," said Sapienza.
"It turns out that the local governor and government had to
move into that building because the small-scale miners had
burned down the government's building two years before."
Sapienza has documented a wide range of other human
security stories, including labor in the Thai shrimp industry
and child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Many of his stories have
been featured on PBS NewsHour and have garnered public
attention.
"Steve has had some incredible experiences covering
important news in many countries," said Ty Buckner,
associate vice president for communications and marketing.
"A lot of his work deals with social justice issues, which
made his reporting particularly interesting. Tm looking
forward to seeing more of Steve's work on television and
online in the future."
Sapienza is currently working on a documentary called
"Easy Like Water," which is about the impact of climate
change in Bangladesh.
"If I've done my job correctly, it's going to be quite Hear
what the audience needs to do," Sapienza said. "You don't
need to tell them exactly what to do. You just need to show
them the problem and most will figure out what they have to
do in order to help change the situation."
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For more photos from the Outdoors Club, vis^^^
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Packing Partv
On Wednesday, Sept. 26, volunteers assembled 10,000 hunger
packets to ship overseas for those suffering from hunger crises.
The packets included protein-filled, highly nutritious meals,
which are shipped by the Stop Hunger Now organization.