Features

AAPRC Weekly: Marcus Mabry

Marcus Mabry
Chief of Correspondents
Newsweek
NYC


With Marcus Mabry, chief of correspondents for Newsweek magazine, persistence is the thing. The summer after his freshman year at Stanford, for instance, Mabry needed two things: newsroom experience and income. In his hometown of Trenton, New Jersey, he'd gotten two part-time jobs––one at Macy's and the other at a local Mexican restaurant––but he still needed a newsroom gig. He called The Trentonian every week and asked the city editor if there was something he could do––opening mail, answering phones, anything. Each week the editor said there was nothing. Then, one day the person who did The Trentonian's community calendar quit and when Mabry made his weekly call the editor had good news. The editor told Mabry they only needed him two or three days per week and there was a chance, not a great one, that maybe he'd be able to pitch a story and get a byline or two. Before he went back to Stanford six weeks later, Mabry had eight bylines.

The accomplished young journalist sites that persistence as the engine that's driven his Horatio Alger-esque tale––a journey from a struggling, singlemother-led household in Jersey to one of the top positions in American journalism. That persistence, Mabry says, was born somewhere between his mother's starry-eyed optimism and his grandmother's dogmatic pragmatism. Mabry's mother gave birth to him while still in her teens and his father was absent. His mother and grandmother, women with markedly different life philosophies, struggled to raise he and his brother alone. "[My mother] really instilled in me and my brother that you can do anything you want. There are no limits," says Mabry. "[My grandmother] is very religious…She had this quote: God meant for some people to be poor. That was just her way of looking at the world. You work hard and you don't get anything out of it and that's life."

Luckily, Mabry was able to find a place somewhere between the two. "That sense of reality about the world along with that sense of 'with persistence and determination you can make your own destiny'––those two things have helped me my whole life and have been crucial to any success I've had," he says.

And Mabry's successes have been considerable. His mother recognized her oldest son's exceptional intelligence early on and guided him toward The Lawrenceville School, an exclusive prep school in Princeton that Mabry attended on scholarship. He got his first taste of journalism there, writing for the school's weekly newspaper. After profiling a German exchange student who lived in his dorm, Mabry realized he was good at reporting and that he enjoyed it. He kept writing for the newspaper and later, after winning a full scholarship to Stanford, he pursued journalism further, though he never intended it as a career. He worked on dual degrees in English and French Literature and International Relations and planned to go to law school. In the meantime, Mabry needed to earn money. Rather than a job in the dining hall or library, he joined the staff of the Stanford Daily, which actually paid student contributors. Mabry became the wire editor for the Daily and by the summer before his senior year had three plum summer internships to choose from: The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times and Newsweek. He chose Newsweek because they promised to assign him to the Atlanta bureau, where he covered the 1988 Democratic National Convention.

In the fall of 1988, Mabry headed to France to spend the first two quarters of his senior year as an exchange student in Paris. He speaks fluent French and had been a devoted Francophile since third grade when he had to pick a country on which to write a report. "Since then I've had this love of France and all things French," says Mabry. "As I grew up I discovered this history of the long line of African-Americans…who went to France and sought out France as a refuge from America and American racism. I thought, wow, there's a whole history of people like me who were attracted to this place…and many of them are great heroes of mine, like James Baldwin."

In France, Mabry touched bases with editors at Newsweek's Paris bureau, and while he didn't get any assignments, he did get fortuitous advice. He'd been accepted at Yale Law School and planned to enter the following year, but once again he was concerned about earning money and helping to support his family. A Paris bureau editor suggested he defer law school, take a job at Newsweek, and go to school once he had money saved. Mabry took the advice, and on the way back to California stopped in New York for an interview. In 1989, a few weeks after he graduated from Stanford, Mabry returned to New York as Newsweek's newest associate editor and a writer in the business section. A year later, he called Yale Law to give up his spot. Mabry had finally decided on a career in journalism.

When Mabry interviewed for the job, his future boss in the business section, Mark Whitaker––who is now the editor of Newsweek––asked Mabry where he saw himself in five years. "I said I'd like to be a correspondent in Paris," Mabry recalls. "And [Mark] laughed and said, 'yeah, we all want to be correspondents in Paris.'" Three-and-a-half years later, in 1993, after a stint as Newsweek's Washington correspondent, Mabry was sent to France as the assistant bureau chief in Paris. He was 25 years old and the first African-American foreign correspondent for Newsweek since the Vietnam War. Again, that notable Mabry persistence had paid off.

"I always say this to young journalists: make everyone around you see you in the position you want to be in next," Mabry says. "In my case, I was always speaking French. When I was a young business writer, we'd go out to dinners in the department. If we went to a French restaurant I'd speak to the waiter in French. I'd order in French. They got so tired of hearing me speak French…I had this abiding interest in France and made sure that everyone at the magazine knew it."

Once he'd gotten a grip on the golden ring, Mabry enjoyed the ride, spending three years as Newsweek's eyes and ears in France. In 1996, he and a colleague earned the Overseas Press Club's Morton Frank Award for Best Business Reporting. He also reconnected with the French family he'd known as a foreign exchange student and traveled extensively. In 1992, he took his first trip to Africa. "The continent was nothing like I could have imagined," says Mabry of the pivotal visit. "As an African-American, until you go to Africa you cannot imagine it. You cannot imagine Africa. You have to go there. Having gone there, I'd been bitten by the bug and I wanted to go back."

Mabry also wanted to head his own bureau, so, after three years in the Paris bureau, he decamped to Johannesburg, where, in 1996, he was named bureau chief. Mabry reported on the biggest news throughout sub-Saharan Africa: the market for mercenary soldiers in West Africa, revolution in Zaire, and the complexities of postwar Rwanda.

Then, in 2000, after seven years abroad, Mabry returned to the states and to the unique challenges that foreign correspondents face upon "re-entry." A nine-month Edward R. Murrow Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York seemed like a good transition vehicle. He had time to write and study and, perhaps most importantly, was surrounded by Americans who cared about international news. "The stories are legend of foreign correspondents who come back to the U.S. and can't stand it," Mabry explains. "The longer you've been overseas, the worse it is…I'd been covering stories on revolution in Zaire and my colleagues were covering Monica Lewinsky and a stain on a dress."

From all appearances, Mabry transitioned smoothly and, in 2001 was named senior editor for Newsweek International. He's been chief of correspondents since 2002, managing all of the magazine's bureaus and reporters in the U.S. and overseas. Needless to say, the past two years have been demanding. He's been responsible for coordinating and monitoring the reporters covering the war in Iraq, and before the war began making sure correspondents were trained in chemical and biological self-defense. Mabry also weighs in with his perspectives on how to cover the news of the week as well as long-term projects. It's a demanding position, but Mabry relishes the challenge and the responsibility. "It's very rare for an African-American to be in this kind of position, and I'm also an openly gay African-American," he says. "The magazine category is far less diverse than any other part of the news business…It's a real great privilege to be a poor kid from Trenton in my position, doing what I do here."

Yes, Mabry does take "representing" seriously, and doesn't downplay what he sees as his responsibility as a gay person of color. "We have the obligation to bring our perspective to bear on our jobs and what we do," Mabry insists. "We bring something extra to the table as people of color and if we don't make that clear then I don't see the point in us having a diverse work force."

Outside of Newsweek and the world of embedded journalists, Mabry lives in New York City's Hell's Kitchen with his partner of three-and-a-half years, Chris Hubis, a software engineer, and the couple's English bulldog, Simon. It's been nearly a decade since his memoir on race and class in America, White Bucks and Blackeyed Peas (Scribner's, 1995), was released and Mabry's agent is eager to get him working on the next book. No doubt it'll get written once Mabry sets that legendary persistence in motion.

As chief of correspondents for Newsweek, you're responsible for all of the magazine's national and foreign correspondents, and had to prepare the Iraq correspondents for entering the war zone. How would you assess the effectiveness of your pre-war preparations for Newsweek's correspondents? What has been successful? What would you do differently?

Our pre-war preparations were very successful. We had a few reporters in difficult spots once the war began and I think there hazardous environment training was really useful. They learned how to react to incoming fire, kidnappers, a biological or chemical attack. That training was very successful. Knowing what I know now of course-–which none of us knew then-–obviously I wouldn't have bought all those biochem suits, masks and antidotes.

Of all the issues swirling around during this election cycle, what, in your opinion, should concern Americans most?

I think Americans should be most concerned about the fact that their leaders in Congress and state governments have so blatantly failed to repair a broken election system, even after the national trauma that was the 2000 election count. It is an abysmal dereliction of duty, and it amazes me that no one will pay the price for the failure to fix this mess. It undermines American democracy and makes us an international laughing stock. Worst of all, it makes American citizens doubt the legitimacy of the system and that eventually leads to a very dark place.

When you returned to Newsweek's New York offices in 2001, you'd been a foreign correspondent for seven years. How does your background in international journalism inform your perspective on the current political climate in this country––particularly the election?

In two ways I think: it makes me very aware of the limits of the American political system, we have a very narrow array of parties here, compared to European democracies. Secondly, it also gives me some much-needed perspectives. Many Americans feel like all that there is to this world is what happens here––politically and socially. Because I know the world, I know that there are many more ways to tackle challenges––be it gay marriage or poverty––than the ones the two parties employ here. That is, often, a very reassuring thought.

In your experience, in terms of political awareness––or a lack thereof––are Americans drastically different from citizens of other nations?

Yes and no. Yes, compared to places like France, where I lived for many years, Americans are less politically aware. We don't have the same facility and knowledge of issues and political personalities––or history or international affairs––as the richest Western European countries. No, because politics, almost everywhere, almost always comes down to a set of narrow self interests. Prejudice, fear of "the other," ignorance of other people's circumstances and perspectives, influence elections from the U.S. to Bosnia to South Africa to Uganda to Sudan.

Aside from Newsweek, obviously, what other media outlets do you look to stay on top of national and international news?

I read and watch everything I can. I look to the U.S. cable channels to keep abreast of what they're covering and arguing; for better or worse, they do dictate much of the political discourse in America. I read the New York Times religiously, as well as the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. I read other magazines when I can, like Atlantic Monthly or the New Yorker, and Time of course to know what the competition is writing. I read the BBC online all the time; it's my web browser home page on my cell phone. And occasionally, I read Le Monde or the British papers on line.

As an openly gay, African-American man, what grade would you give current diversity efforts in American journalism?

A "D." We are not diverse. We say we are trying to become diverse, but we are in a failing race with a country that is more multi-hued every day. I always say we have done much better on welcoming sexual minorities than people of color. When I came back from overseas, Newsweek had five senior editors who were openly gay or lesbian. I was the only senior editor of color. Those numbers are a lot closer today. And the fact that Newsweek's editor is black man is truly historic. But we have so much farther to go.

What's happening in journalism and media right now that makes you most optimistic?


The fact that we are covering the world again gives me some hope. Sadly, we are only covering terrorism for the most part, but TV networks and print outlets are actually hiring foreign correspondents. Back in the 90s, before the tragedy of September 11, we were all closing foreign bureaus. I hope the change will make Americans at least somewhat more aware of the world outside our borders.

What's the single best piece of advice you have for young journalists?

Be persistent and don't be snooty. Do any job, any assignment that anyone will give you--ever.

For those in college or not yet in college, I would say: Get clips! And use them to get internships. The best way into this business by far––it's how I got here, how Newsweek's editor Mark Whitaker got here––is through internships. That's where we get the majority of our young hires.

What does a typical day look like for you?

There is no such thing. As chief of correspondents, my main job is troubleshooting, so every day is usually wildly different. In general, I get in by 9:30, having read all the papers I could before. I meet with the managing editor and the national and international affairs editor to talk about the "front of the book," the hard news sections. Then we have a full editorial morning meeting, with the Editor and all the other senior editors to discuss/argue about what should go in the magazine and on the cover that week. Then it's a day of answering calls from domestic and foreign bureaus, signing mountains of expense reports, making decisions about coverage, "casting" reporting assignments for breaking news stories, meetings with lawyers or the HR department on anything you can think of, lots of communication with the chief accountant for editorial, lots of talking with other senior editors about correspondents' needs/feelings/reporting, talking with the Editor when there is some issue I think he needs to know about, etc. etc. Oh, and I also run the Newsweek poll, our summer internship program and our research department. So those all require time usually in a given day.


Tell us one thing people might be surprised to know about you.

My mom raised my brother and me by herself and we grew up on and off welfare. I went to prep school on a full scholarship and now I am president of the board of a non-profit in New York City that does the same for other poor Black and Latino kids like me: the Albert G. Oliver program.

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