Correspondent Jane Ferguson on Conflict Zones, Fear, & Being Underestimated

Published on: 19th January, 2021

For over 12 years, Jane Ferguson has lived in the Middle East, reporting for CNN, Al Jazeera and now PBS from some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the world. Inside the civil war in Yemen; one of the first on the ground in rebel-held Syria; in and out of Somalia and Afghanistan - and a long way from her childhood in Northern Ireland. An award-winning journalist and journalism professor at Princeton, she opens up about what she learned while navigating dangerous assignments alone, the "bizarre chivalry" of the Taliban, why being underestimated is her greatest asset, and how to persuade skeptical strangers to trust in her, and talk.

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About the Podcast

Life, Deconstructed

Candid conversations with inspiring women on doubts, decisions, and success

What's the right path for me? How can I discover and fulfill my own potential? Where's my tribe? Many of us spend years asking ourselves those questions, and don't have easy answers. And that's ok, because the truth is life isn't linear. Think of it like a heart monitor: the sign of life isn't a flat, straight line - it's a constantly fluctuating, vibrant zigzag. But that doesn't mean we have to figure it out alone. From CEOs to tech founders, designers, and journalists, join me for candid conversations with incredible women on how they got to where they are and the debates, decisions, and doubts along the way.

About your hosts

Nurit Ben

For over 12 years, I've worked in news and broadcasting as an anchor, senior producer, and reporter. I started out behind the scenes at the CBS Evening News, did some stints in print at GQ Magazine and the New York Times Magazine, and for the last 7 years was a managing editor and anchor of global evening news programs. In that space I've interviewed thousands of people, from government officials and political candidates to actors and musicians. But I've always been most drawn to how people actually got to where they are; how they figured it out, and how their paths formed behind the scenes, you know, in real life - not just the shiny final packages we see. Those are the conversations we're having here.

Talia Golijov

Producer
For the past seven years I have worked as a television producer, first at a production company housing the Middle East bureau of several international news channels, and then as a senior producer of the main evening broadcast on an international network. My background is in cultural anthropology and I have a master's degree in conflict resolution and mediation. I’ve been a news junkie and avid podcast listener since the form emerged in the mid-2000s. Throughout the many nights of breaking news about war, political turmoil, and on the rare occasion, peace, what I show on screen often seems at odds with the stories I most want to hear myself - about shared experiences and personal triumphs.