By MyungJin Lee
Journalism professor Nicholas Daniloff’s memoir “Of Spies and Spokesmen: My Life as a Cold War Correspondent,” released in April by the University of Missouris covers his 30-year-career in journalism.
Daniloff became a national figure in 1986 when he was imprisoned by the KGB, a Soviet police and intelligence organizion, on charges he was a spy while he was working as a correspondent for US News and World Report in the Soviet Union. He was released after 13 days when leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to a prisoner swap.
Daniloff said writing a book was a very long and different journey than writing news articles. He said he hopeshis students can share his experiences by reading his book, he said.
“Students are always on my mind,” he said.
The book covers most of Daniloff’s life, with a significant focus on his college life and journalism career.
Much of Daniloff’s career was spent reporting on the Cold War – he spent most of the1980s covering news in Moscow.
“I wanted to write this book because my impression of today is that most students do not understand the Cold War,” Daniloff said.
Daniloff has written two other books: “The Kremlin and the Cosmos,” published in 1972, and “Two Lives, One Russia,” published in 1989.
“Professor Daniloff’s book, ‘Of Spies and Spokesman,’ is a really compelling read for anyone interested in journalism or history,” said Todd Cormier, a junior journalism major who read the book this spring in Daniloff’s ethics and issues class. “I would definitely recommend this book to someone who was looking for an entertaining and insightful summer read.”
Cormier said Daniloff’s book taught him a lot about historical events he wasn’t aware of him. It also interested him because it gave insight into the life of a reporter, he said.
“If you’ve ever been curious about the life of a journalist, this book will make it clear how tough and dangerous it can sometimes be,” Cormier said.
The events surrounding Daniloff’s arrest and imprisonment are a key component of the book. The Cuban Missile Crisis, Gorbachev’s resignation and the role of reporters covering international stories are also covered in depth in the book.
“The book is a revealing behind-the-scenes tale for some of history’s most memorable moments, and he is fortunate to be a participant,” Cormier said.
Daniloff said the book also shows how he relates with some of his students who have not discovered what they want to do with their lives. He remembered countless nights where worries of academics, his career, love and his future plans kept him from sleeping.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do for living,” he said. In his book, Daniloff admitted he had to deal with series of mistakes, failure and rejections in his early life.
Daniloff wrote about his first job in journalism, as a copy boy at the Washington Post. After a short time, an editor curtly asked him to find another job because he felt Daniloff was not fit for journalism, as explained in the book. Instead, Daniloff said he did not give up, never stopped working and, finally, found success.
Early in his book, Daniloff shared tips for becoming a good reporter: “You have to be curious about everything” and “develop stories with dramatic sense.”
He said he hoped his experiences chonicled in the book could provide a lesson for college students.
“It is important to plan and think about what you want to do for the rest of your life,” he said. “Whatever life throws at you, keep working.”he said. “Whatever life throws at you, keep working.”
