London Bureau Chief and former Baghdad Bureau Chief for The New York Times John F. Burns is the longest-serving foreign correspondent in the Times’ history and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. For more than 30 years he has been a fearless representative in embattled regions — from South Africa during apartheid to the siege of Sarajevo and then to Iraq before and after the war.
His work has taken him to China, India, and the Soviet Union during perilous periods. After 9/11, he directed the paper's coverage of the Afghanistan war, first from a base in Islamabad, and later from the Afghan capital. He covered the last six months of Saddam Hussein's regime and, when American troops captured Baghdad, he served as bureau chief for the paper in Baghdad—often under hazardous circumstances— until July 2007. He has been a familiar face during these conflicts, appearing on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, The Charlie Rose Show and many other news shows.
In addition to his two Pulitzers, Burns is also a dual winner of the George Polk Award for foreign reporting in Africa and Afghanistan. His book on the trial and execution of Saddam Hussein was published in late 2009. He will follow that with another book about his time spent in far away and nasty places.
“John Burns gave a packed hall a professional's up-close look at unfolding events in crisis spots around the world. He brought perspective, humanity and a strong 'everyman's' sense of history unfolding, sharing his moments with world leaders, combat veterans, and people in the streets. John's finely tuned ear, insight, riveting word pictures and personal courage walked us into the vortex of history in our times. He is not to be missed.”- World Affairs Council of Jacksonville
