Reporters on the Job

• Persistence Pays Off: Correspondent David Montero lived in Bangladesh for 14 months prior to moving to Pakistan. During his days in Bangladesh, he never met Muhammad Yunus, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But his reputation was well known in the country. "Dr. Yunus is revered by the intellectual elite, but he's a hero among ordinary people – a rare combination. Hundreds of recipients of microloans flocked to his home in Dhaka after the announcement of the award," says David.

He says that Yunus's legacy is evident throughout South Asia. "During a recent trip through Afghanistan, for example, I was surprised by how many microcredit institutions there are, and it reminded me of where it all started."

David was among the many journalists trying to reach Yunus after the announcement Friday. He called his home and cellphone for two days without success. "I had given up, but decided to try one last time before deadline and got through. I thought he might be too busy, but he was very gracious."

• No Hamas Ties: Correspondent Joshua Mitnick visited two charities in the West Bank for today's story about Hamas connected charities. But neither appreciated the visit. "Each was careful to distance themselves from Hamas. One threatened to sue the paper if I wrote that his organization was associated with Hamas," says Josh.

Why? Josh says it's largely to do with self-preservation. One had been raided and shut down by the Israeli army. The Israeli military is targeting charities because it suspects some may be also funneling money to the military wing of Hamas. The charities also didn't want to be publicly associated with Hamas because recently several charities have been vandalized, allegedly by Fatah's Palestinian supporters.

David Clark Scott
World editor