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Book

A Portrait of the Reporter

First published: 2003

Ryszard Kapuściński's reflections on the ethics of journalism, the role of the reporter in a democracy, and the responsibility that comes with words.

About the Book

A Portrait of the Reporter (Autoportret reportera) is a collection of Ryszard Kapuściński’s statements — fragments of interviews, lectures, conversations and essays — selected and arranged by Krystyna Strączek and published in 2003. Although it is not a book written “from beginning to end,” it forms a coherent, personal account by the author of his own profession, craft and ethics of reportage.

In it Kapuściński defines the reporter as far more than someone who merely reports facts. He is a witness to history and a mediator between cultures, whose work has a moral and political dimension. The author repeatedly stresses that “this profession requires character,” and that only a good person — sensitive, honest and present where something important is happening — can be a good reporter. He writes about responsibility towards the word, the temptation of manipulation, and why truth is the supreme value in journalism.

The book is also a reflection on reportage as an art form, on the border between literature and journalism, and on the role of the media in the contemporary world. It is a kind of credo and a key to understanding the whole of the author’s work — from The Emperor to The Shadow of the Sun. It is reading not only for aspiring journalists, but for anyone who wants to understand how a story about the world is born.

Themes

  • The role of the reporter in democracy
  • The ethics of journalism
  • Responsibility towards language
  • Reportage as an art form
  • Testimony and truth

Significance

The author’s mission as a guide through reality.

See Also

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Where to go next

Three ways to keep going — read a sample, pick the next book, or meet the author.

Quotes

Kapuscinski in his own words

Memorable lines on travel, truth and the Other — the shortest way into his way of thinking.

Read the quotes → Read next

This Is Not a Job for Cynics

Kapuscinski on the ethics of the profession — the posthumous collection that completes what Self-Portrait begins.

About the book → The author

Who was Ryszard Kapuscinski?

From a small town on the Polish border to reporting on twenty-seven revolutions — the life behind the books.

Read the biography →

source: kapuscinski.info

Materials about this book

12

A Portrait of the Reporter – Summary and Analysis (ethics, craft, quotes)

Kapuściński's A Portrait of the Reporter – summary, key issues, the ethics of journalism, the reporter's craft, themes, quotes and theses. A study guide.

A Portrait of the Reporter. Polish Editions and ISBN.

A working list of Polish editions of Ryszard Kapuściński's A Portrait of the Reporter with ISBN numbers where confirmed.

Reporter by Vocation — Review of "A Portrait of the Reporter"

Review of the book A Portrait of the Reporter about Ryszard Kapuściński — a journalist by vocation who remains an authority for young reporters.

'Faces of the Media' Live with Ryszard Kapuściński on TVP1, 26 November 2003

Conversation between Piotr Kraśko and Ryszard Kapuściński, a legend of Polish reportage, on journalism and his work, recorded in 2003.

"A Portrait of the Reporter" — Review (Mariusz Szczygieł)

Review of Ryszard Kapuściński's collection of interviews on reportage, travel, and media — reflections of a master journalist on the global world and the role of the press.

"A Portrait of the Reporter" — Review (Piotr Bratkowski)

Ryszard Kapuściński shares his journalistic philosophy and diagnosis of the world's transformations over the last half century. Review of A Portrait of the Reporter.

"Faces of the Media" on TVP — Meeting with Ryszard Kapuściński

Ryszard Kapuściński — legendary figure of Polish reportage — talks about himself, the media, and journalism in a TVP1 broadcast from 2003.

"You Cannot Know Everything" — Review of "A Portrait of the Reporter"

Review of Ryszard Kapuściński's A Portrait of the Reporter — an analysis of style, egocentrism, and the reportorial mission of the famous journalist.

A Portrait of the Reporter

A collection of 48 interviews with Ryszard Kapuściński on his working method, travels, and reportage writing — a portrait of a master journalist from the 1990s.

Excerpts from "A Portrait of the Reporter"

Ryszard Kapuściński on his beginnings in journalism, his wanderings, and his curiosity about the world — excerpts from the autobiographical book A Portrait of the Reporter.

Meeting at Radio Trójka — "A Portrait of the Reporter"

Meeting with Ryszard Kapuściński at Radio Trójka, where the master of reportage talks about his work and the book A Portrait of the Reporter.

Press Reviews of "A Portrait of the Reporter"

A complete list of press reviews of Ryszard Kapuściński's A Portrait of the Reporter from 2003–2004 in major Polish periodicals.