Getting my master's degree in the US was a fundamental step for me to become a better journalist

Agostino Petroni is an Italian journalist, author, and a 2021 Pulitzer Reporting Fellow. His work appears in a number of outlets, including National Geographic, BBC, and The Atlantic.

You are a recent graduate of Columbia University. Do you think that an advanced degree is becoming increasingly necessary to make a mark in this profession?

Before arriving at Columbia University, I spent a few years trying things out. The idea of telling stories attracted me, so in 2016 I did a crowdfunding campaign, packed my backpack, and went to Latin America looking for some stories. I believe that first experience, and the ones that followed, prepared me to fully take advantage of the Master of Art in Politics at Columbia University School of Journalism. Without previous fieldwork, my experience in New York would have been different, less fruitful, I think. 

The advanced degree gave me the tools and critical thinking to enhance my stories and construct long-form narratives. It kickstarted my journalism career and allowed me to publish in publications I only dreamed of before starting the course. So yes, the advanced degree was a fundamental step for me to become a better journalist. But advanced degrees in the U.S. are expensive, and without a scholarship from Fondazione Intesa San Paolo, I do not know if I could have attended. I don't know if I would have had the courage to ask for a loan and carry such a burden around for years.

Much of your work revolves around the natural world. Do you see this sort of journalism becoming more common in the coming years due to increased awareness of climate change?

I instinctively started writing about the natural world because I grew up on a farm where life follows the pace of nature. And nature has clearly been showing signs of change lately. But you don't need to be born in the countryside to witness climate change and write about it. As our planet warms up, more people feel the collateral effects of such change, and there is a great need for journalists to record what's happening. Climate change is the story of our lifetimes, and I think reporting on it will become increasingly important and common.

Do you have cautionary tales for young journalists of things to look out for when investigating a story? 

Try to talk to as many sources as possible, double-check what they say, and read through scientific papers, not only the abstract and conclusion.

How do you see the future of documentary filmmaking changing with the rise of streaming platforms? Will it thrive or face difficulties?

I have made only one documentary so far, Heart Wood, and it has not been easy to distribute it to a larger public. Maybe streaming platforms will create more space for young documentary filmmakers and give them a better chance to publish their work.

What is the most challenging story you have covered?

For my master’s thesis, I traveled to Cuba to research a story about the ocean. I knew Cuba was not a friendly place, but I did not expect to be approached by the Cuban secret service as soon as I arrived.

A man with hair shaved to the skull approached me on the sidewalk of Old Havana. He introduced himself as Ojo de Aguila (eagle's eye), and while I was sure that wasn't his real name, he knew mine. The conversation started casually, which made it more frightening: "You know, you should eat ropa vieja." He stopped passersby, asking them if they had ever eaten the famous Cuban meat stew; they looked at him perplexed, mostly answered affirmatively, and hurried on.

He told me that he liked how I wrote and saw things and complimented my sharp thinking. As I watched the words coming out of his mouth, my brain tried to keep my body cool. I smiled and tried to seem flattered, all the while desperate to figure out how he knew so much about me. How could he know about my writing and thoughts? "Have you seen that high building in the center of Havana? You should visit it if you have time. Inside, there is the headquarters of the intelligence service. In Cuba, we are quite good at that. From there, I can see wherever you go, at what time you go to sleep. I won't leave you until you leave the country. I'll be your shadow, and even if you don't see me, I will be there." My legs shook. He kept me on the street for a good hour, subtly showing off his skills as a secret agent and appearing to enjoy terrifying me.

If there is someone that Cubans seem to hate more than Americans, it's the journalist. According to the "Reporters without Borders" 2019 world press freedom index, Cuba sits at 169th place (out of 180) of the ranking. I was a combination of the two: a journalist studying at Columbia University in the United States of America. That was the last time I saw Ojo de Aguila, but from that moment on, I started seeing the same men, with different clothes at different times of the day, wherever I went. I was being followed by undercover agents who did not make much effort to hide it from me.

I was afraid of surveillance but knew that I could have jumped on a plane and left at any moment. The realization of how impossible this was for Cubans was heartbreaking. As I felt the presence of the secret police all around me, I wondered why would Cuban intelligence care about a story about the ocean? But gradually, I realized that my story and theirs intersected. And my initial idea of a story and reporting changed because of what was happening to me.

What can undergraduate students, without any formal training, do to get involved in the field?

New technologies give us endless possibilities, and there are stories everywhere around us. Local or school papers are always looking for new contributors, so I would try to reach out to them and see if they are interested in your story––this is how I started, and those were my first bylines. Then, if you feel more adventurous, you can apply for one of the many travel grants to explore a new place. Or, if you feel more confident, you can attempt a crowdfunding campaign, as we did: it was hard work, but it allowed us to do fieldwork for months.

As a journalist, once you have completed a story, do you normally follow up on it?

It depends on the kind of story, but to be honest, I have been a journalist for a short time, and to follow up on a story, you need time to pass. I have written stories that I think deserve a follow-up, and I hope I'll be able to write them in the coming years.

Do you think in the 21st century, it is necessary for journalists to have a vibrant social media presence, or can one succeed without it?

Most people say it's a must, and they might be right. I am present on most social media, where I follow journalists I admire, share my work, and check trends. But I don’t spend too much time on them. Yet, even with a dormant social media presence, I am still working and regularly publishing as a freelancer: there is only so much time in a day, and I use it mostly to look for stories and write. However, some more work on social media could bring in more assignments, and one of my goals for this year is to allocate some more time for it.