What drew so much media attention to Venezuela only a few years ago and why has it fizzled out? Stephen Gibbs (@STHGIbbs), a freelancer based in Caracas, tells us about covering the unrest and his encounters with Hugo Chavez and Maduro. As a former longtime BBC correspondent, Gibbs also talks about covering Cuba - including Castro revealing his relationship with Ernest Hemingway and a chance meeting with a rogue CIA agent.

Countries featured: United Kingdom, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, Venezuela

Publications featured: BBC, The Times (of London), The Economist, CGTN

Stephen discusses getting his start writing gossip items and producing news for children (8:36), making the jump to producing the nightly news at the BBC and transitioning to on-camera newsman in Cuba (15:35), meeting Fidel Castro at an event about Ernest Hemingway (23:34), Cuba revoking his media accreditation (28:11), moving to Mexico and covering swine flu there (35:15), going freelance and moving to Brazil and Venezuela (41:36), being in the middle of turbulent Venezuelan politics while juggling assignments from three publications (46:30), a story that got away about a fugitive former CIA agent living in Cuba (55:25), covering the coup that ousted Haiti’s president in 2004 (1:00:20) and finally the lightning round (1:08:20).

Here are links to some of the things we talked about:

Stephen’s documentary on Easter Island - https://bit.ly/3zgJT7n

Observer article on fugitive CIA agent - https://bit.ly/32JORO9

Stephen’s interview with Brazil’s Bolsonaro - https://bit.ly/3sQQC6W

Private Eye - https://bit.ly/3qCYQNb

BBC interview with Belarus leader Lukashenko - https://bit.ly/3FNDoeW

Harry’s Garage - https://bit.ly/3eGc4mL

Allen Whicker interviews dictator Papa Doc - https://bit.ly/3zdLRpe

The Quiet American book - https://amzn.to/3mNh6m7

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Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.net) by Makaih Beats

From: freemusicarchive.org

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