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Christian Reader, March/April 2001
Reporting from Hell's Doorstep
Jack Kelley covers the world's hot spots

by Jeffrey S. McDonald

He has been stalked by snipers, caught in a Kosovo minefield, and arrested in Cuba. He has watched helplessly as children starved in Somalia and stood over mass graves in Rwanda. He has tracked crime bosses in Russia and read the diaries of soldiers slain during the Persian Gulf War.

As a foreign correspondent for USA Today, Jack Kelley has traveled to 86 countries and conducted interviews with 36 heads of state, including Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, the Dalai Lama (who, jokester that he is, burped in Jack's face), and Mikhail Gorbachev.

What has brought him to the front lines of human conflict and tragedy?

"Journalism is a calling," he explains. "I feel God's pleasure when I write and report. It isn't because of the glory, but because God has called me to proclaim truth, and to worship and serve him through other people."

His role models, he says, are four of "the greatest journalists of all time": Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

"I try to be people's ears, eyes, and hearts so they can understand the times they are living in," he says.

One might think he has become callous after seeing so much misery. But he hasn't.

"The day it stops affecting me or I become cynical is the day I want to get out of journalism," Jack says....

..."I talk to the Lord constantly," he adds. "That is the only way I can get through this job. I should have died a long time ago. God is protecting me. I don't think I am testing the Lord. I just think this is what he has called me to do, and he will equip me as necessary."...

...In times of war and crisis, Jack has repeatedly seen how easy it is for misinformation to color perceptions. He has been stunned by the false reports he has received in war-torn areas. ...

...Jack says the best way for him to demonstrate his Christian walk is to strive for excellence in all his dealings. He checks and rechecks his facts and sources, and puts in extra effort so his reports will be accurate and to the point. ...