"I’m Truly Honored and Grateful for My Work Being Recognized by the AFPC-USA."
Michaela Haas, Ph.D. (Germany), AFPC-USA Professional Excellence Awardee 2022.
Michaela Haas, Ph.D. is an award-winning reporter and author of four non-fiction books. She is a columnist for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and a freelance West Coast correspondent for international media. Michael is a Professional Excellence Awardee from the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA) for 2022.
You have been selected as one of the Professional Excellence Awardees for 2022-2023 by the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA. How does that make you feel, and what message do you want to share with the community of foreign correspondents in the US?
I’m truly honored and grateful for my work being recognized by the AFPC-USA. Working as a freelance correspondent has become more challenging during the pandemic because of budget and travel restrictions, and I’m grateful for your support.
Michaela Haas, Ph.D. from Germany, received her award from Sue Ann Pentecost, Head of Integrated Strategic Communications, BAYER U.S., during the Annual Foreign Press Awards Ceremony on December 15, 2022, in New York.
What do you see as essential in the role that the Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents play in support of the community of foreign journalists in America?
Supporting foreign correspondents on the ground while defending press freedom and journalistic standards.
What do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of your job as a US-based foreign correspondent?
Budget cuts have made it increasingly challenging to do in-depth reporting, even for renowned national magazines and newspapers. The national newspaper I have worked for since I was 16 years old now pays freelancers half of what they paid 20 years ago.
What is the best way for a foreign journalist to succeed as a US correspondent?
Research, research, research. 2. Connections, connections, connections. 3. It helps that I’m trilingual and publish both in the U.S. and in Europe.
What has been the most challenging or complex story you have covered from the US as a foreign journalist?
The story about how renowned Stanford scientist Ron Davis is fighting to cure his son’s chronic fatigue syndrome and why COVID patients may benefit was challenging because first, I had to gain the family’s trust. Second, it is challenging to explain the true impact of chronic fatigue to the broader public; lastly, the involved medical details are highly complex. With long-Covid affecting millions of people worldwide, I was determined to tell this story as emphatically as possible.
What criteria do you use to select the stories you think are worthwhile to cover?
As a solutions journalist, I focus on effective, reproducible solutions. I am convinced that it is just as important and maybe even more impactful to report on proven solutions than on problems.
