Clare Hollingworth

Clare Hollingworth (1911 – 2017) was the first War Correspondent who reported the outbreak of the world war II.  This report was described as the Scoop of the century.  As a war correspondent she drove into Germany across a closed border. On her way back she noticed a large screen that prevented people from seeing the valley below.  The wind blew the screen away and there she saw German tanks lined up to enter Poland.  This is how Hollingworth broke the news of the world war II to the world.

In the world of journalism, a scoop is an item of news reported by one journalist before others reported the same news item.  The news must be of originality which contains surprise element and excitement.  Scoops are part of lore and confirms prestige on the journalist.  Scoop means to beat others in reporting first.  Scoops are Important and likely to interest many people.  News items must be unexpected, surprising and hitherto a secret one. 

Hollingworth was one of the most active war correspondent of the 20^th century.  She lived 105 years.  Even when she was 79 years old, Hollingworth hoped that she would be invited to cover the Gulf war.  This Gulf war was one of the few conflicts that she missed.  She had witnessed the war in Vietnam, The Middle East, India and Pakistan.  “If you put me in a rickety life, I would be terrified.  I do not feel frightened under machine gun fire.  The exhitement of the job overcomes it”. 

Hollingworth reported on Algerian conflict in 1950s.  During her stay there her house was ransacked by terrorists who did not ‘like’ the stories that she was reporting.  When she was Daily Telegraph’s correspondent in China in 1989 she saw the tragedy of Tiananmen Square.

Hollingworth showed an early interest in becoming a writer against opposition from her mother.  She started to write articles on a freelance basis in 1939.  She was selected to fight the Parliamentary seat for the labor party.  Outbreak of world war led to the suspension of the election.  She was the first correspondent to interview Shah of Iran.  She retired in 1981.

Hollingworth won, Woman Journalist of the year award in 1994 for reporting of the civil war in Algeria.She received life time achievement award from UK television program.  In 1982.She was made an officer of the order of the British Empire for services to journalism.

Hollingworth made journalism proud.  Journalism made Hollingworth proud.