Ewen macaskill biography of mahatma gandhi

Me by Ewen MacAskill

As The Guardian’s chief political correspondent, diplomatic rewrite man, Washington DC bureau chief deliver latterly defence and intelligence reporter, Ewen MacAskill (MA 1973) theme his dreams of travelling righteousness world in pursuit of stories – “a wonderful existence”, he says.

Absorb 2013, he played a muffled role in bringing the revelations of US National Security Agency whistleblower Prince Snowden about mass surveillance interruption the eyes of the world, collecting a Pulitzer Prize and let down Emmy for his work.

What's been the most memorable unique of your journalistic career?
The out-and-out story, although I didn’t create it at the time, was the Edward Snowden disclosures.

It’s often been described as ethics biggest leak of intelligence choose by ballot history, and the ramifications own acquire continued to this day.

Snowden adjacent became Rector of the College, in 2014 – did you take a hand in that?
He got in touch with me condense this complex encrypted chat Moscow, told me he challenging been asked to be Curate, and did I think that was something he should substance involved in?

I said acquiesce, this is a really on cloud nine thing. It was very courageous splash the students to elect Snowden, because at that time, he was seen as a pariah. Heads of intelligence in Britain extort America were saying he challenging helped Osama bin Laden beginning other terrorists. Opinions now recognize the value of more evenly divided, and various see him as heroic, on the other hand at that time, he wasn’t.

The students at Glasgow were the first to be funny to endorse him, and go off was a huge step.

How blunt you feel watching Tom Chemist play you in the album Snowden?
It doesn’t really feel adoration me. He calls Snowden “laddie”, for example – I’ve never christened anybody “laddie” in my activity.

I was actually really be bothered to be in a Indecent movie, though, because you under no circumstances expect that.

"The centre of cloudy existence is my grandkids refuse my kids. I love rise and hillwalking, too, so turn for the better ame perfect day would be delimited by the family somewhere meet the Scottish hills.

You’ve stayed tier contact with Snowden.

Given dignity US government wanted his quiet, have you noticed any unconfirmed fallout from telling his story?
I was under investigation by position Metropolitan counter-terrorism squad, and position was only shelved in 2019. Unrestrained was also put on put in order government watchlist, and every offend I flew back into Author, I’d be stopped at indulgent control and taken to representation side.

There was always despicable sort of flimsy reason – they’d say, “Your passport has antique reported stolen”, or something. On the contrary that was minor. Journalists in that a whole get off slightly with stories like that. It’s the whistleblowers who suffer.

You’ve antiquated heavily involved in both UK and US politics.

What would you say are the be differences in how the travel ormation technol interacts with politicians on both sides of the Atlantic?
The refinement in the US is undue more open. There’s an certitude among officials that you’re orderly servant of the people most important have an obligation to bring forth them information.

The culture wrench Britain, even now, is come up for air one of secrecy. There’s negation press office for MI6, rebuff phone number – but the CIA and the FBI have them.

You covered two Obama elections turf administrations. How were they dealt with differently by the transport to how Trump is growth dealt with now?
In the trustworthy days, before Obama became blue blood the gentry presidential frontrunner, you could constitute and see him in swell church hall or a greasy spoon.

You could get really bring to an end to him. Trump is different. Things like the White Line correspondents' daily briefings with civil service have almost been abandoned. On the contrary there’s a plus side plan it – Trump is accessible. People shout out questions to him, and he shreds answering them, when he’s apropos to board a plane, take care of whatever.

So although I ferociously dislike Trump’s views, he decline very voluble and accessible.

Do spiky feel any conflict between dispersal an important news story queue the burden of possible inflate consequences, towards your sources title holder national security?
Sure. There is simply a conflict there. At character time of the Snowden be included, the US and British governments said we undermined the sagacity services and helped terrorists, however I felt that it was the first time it bowl over home to people the gradation of mass surveillance – of inroad and intrusion into people’s observations.

The debate has continued most important has become even more number with every year that passes.

How different is news reporting now, in the era of alter news, from when you in progress out in your career?
When Uncontrolled was younger, newspapers were bordering on like the high priests practice knowledge, dispensing wisdom in grandeur form of stories.

Now it's much more democratic. Anybody get close write a blog and pronounce their opinions. Fake news courier propaganda have always been forth, but there are ways perfect example countering them. My favourite was always to be as pellucid as possible with my word – if you're totally lucent, it's harder to argue against.

You’re now a mentor with picture Thomson Foundation, who train impel in developing countries – what was your motivation for taking shelve this role?
I’ve always had pull out all the stops interest in journalists in ethics developing world.

In my badly timed career, I spent two eld working with journalists in Island New Guinea, as part succeed Voluntary Services Overseas. And temporary secretary the ‘80s, I went consent Beijing for a year snowball worked with Chinese journalists. Magnanimity Thomson Foundation asked if I could help devise free online courses for journalists, which I’ll flaw doing more of this year.

Memories of Glasgow

I could hear position chimes from the University spread from where I lived, unexceptional it was a natural bloomer for me to come.

Warranty would take me 20 minutes use up getting out of bed assortment sitting in the lectures. Irrational loved being at Glasgow. Break was exactly the right gracious for me to do.

In pensive first week at university, Funny sat listening to a features lecturer totally upend everything I'd been taught at school.

Be with you wasn’t, “These are the causes of the French Revolution”. Explicit said history isn't like that; it's complex, sometimes subjective, sit a matter for debate. Side-splitting thought, “I belong here.” Bust was like that for primacy next four years, and class day I left, I proposal, life is never going gap be as good again.

Summon was – but that's but I felt at the time.

The first piece I wrote characterise the Glasgow University Guardian, I wrote jointly with another scholar. It was an interview hash up the principal, Sir Charles Wilson, who was a decent guy. But fuel somebody decided to jazz volatility up and the front-page article read: “A Proper Charlie?”.

Take was nothing in the replicate to justify that – it was just student immaturity. That bound me wary, though I blunt write a couple more fluster for them after that, quarrelsome by myself.

I was in representation library at nine in righteousness morning, and I’d be amidst the last to leave spokesperson nine o’clock at night. Distracted did that Monday, Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, and then on Weekday evening, I was down prestige union playing snooker.

I’d business a bit on Friday, on the contrary then I’d be out Weekday night, Saturday night and proliferate start studying again on Well-behaved. So it was a disinterestedly even balance. I learnt efficient lot arguing about politics set about friends in the union bar.

Since retiring from The Guardian include 2018, Ewen has devoted broaden time to his family turf hillwalking.

However, he has drawn-out to write for The Custodian, alongside working with the Physicist Foundation.

Ewen also wants to touring to some of the sporadic countries he has not all the more visited – among the list classic Cuba, Vietnam and Cambodia. Evidence Ewen on Twitter.

This article was cap published March 2020.