How an Innate Curiosity Prepared Harriet Alexander to Be a Foreign Correspondent in the U.S.

Harriet Alexander is a multimedia journalist who has reported stories from more than 45 countries across video, print, and social media. She has nearly two decades of journalistic experience serving as a freelance reporter, commentator, and writer for such organizations as Hello! and Sky News. Previously based in London while working as a foreign correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, she later moved to New York City to serve as the publication’s U.S. correspondent there. She is currently a Senior Online Reporter for The Daily Mail, where she has written about U.S. and international news and entertainment.

In the following interview, she speaks at length about her experiences and offers valuable advice to others eager to take the next steps in their journalistic careers.

What inspired you to pursue a career in journalism?

Harriet Alexander

I’ve wanted to be a journalist for as long as I can remember—my parents say that as a child I was addicted to print, and would be deep in a newspaper whenever I found one lying around. I have been fascinated by people and the world around me all my life, and watching journalists like Kate Adie and John Simpson with the BBC when I was younger was definitely a strong influence. I’m incredibly fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do, and have been able to do it—as a profession, it’s certainly not been a disappointment. 

As a foreign correspondent, how did your journey begin in the United States?

I moved to New York in 2015 with The Daily Telegraph to be their correspondent here. 

Prior to that, I’d spent seven years roaming around the world, reporting from 45 countries in every continent except Antarctica and Australasia. It was a wild ride, and an unbelievable privilege—I loved my job and felt so lucky to be able to cover such a range of stories. But I was based in London, and wanted to shake things up a bit and try being based in one country and covering it deeply, rather than parachuting in on ever-changing stories - exhilarating and challenging, but at times frustrating. 

I thought to myself: where in the world is there the most action, the most drama and variety, and the biggest thirst for information from our readers? So I lobbied my editors to send me here—which thankfully paid off. In 2020 I left The Telegraph and am now at DailyMail.com as a Senior Online Reporter.

In your capacity as a foreign correspondent in the U.S., what is the most important part of your job?

Curiosity. You have to be interested in the world around you, and ask lots of questions—the answers will frequently surprise you. You have to be open to all types of people and all scenarios: it’s such a privilege to be able to ask people what they think about the world, and what matters to them. And listen carefully to their answers; I’ve had so many preconceptions smashed. It’s also really important to be resourceful and resilient. And have a sense of humor!

How do you define success in your work as a foreign correspondent?

I always have a metric in my head when I come across a story: is it something that I’d tell my friends about in the pub or over a coffee, and is it a story my parents would share with their friends. If it hits both targets, then it’s interesting! 

But success is a tricky word. 

Some of my stories have got huge hits on the website. I wrote for instance in 2015 about “Cecil the Lion,” one of Zimbabwe’s most beloved animals, who was killed inside the boundaries of a national park by an American dentist. He was a trophy hunter, who killed him with a bow and arrow. That got 20 million hits! It was huge at the time, and the biggest story of the year for The Telegraph’s website, but I wouldn’t say it was necessarily my most successful story.

I’d say success is producing work that is unusual, and thought-provoking, and that I’m really proud of. I convinced an illegal logger in the Brazilian Amazon to talk to me, on camera, about why he chopped down the trees—that felt like a real achievement. And I secured what I think was the last ever interview in international press with Haiti’s president, before his assassination. I’m very proud of those.

What story or stories have you worked on that have brought you the greatest joy? Which stories have been the most difficult in your experience?

The Brazilian logger story on both counts—it was incredibly difficult to set up, and took a good three months of solid work to find someone willing to speak to me. Even as I was sitting outside his house chatting, his lawyer roared up on a motorbike and begged him to stop speaking to me—word had got around in the village. But he felt that he was entirely within his rights, on his own land, to do as he wished—and he argued the real rogues were the farmers chopping down trees for livestock. "No one is giving our side of the story," he told me.

I love reporting on elections, and finding the hot button topics. It’s a great opportunity to get out into the country and canvas people: talking to Trump supporters in rural Pennsylvania or Alabama, or those living along the U.S.-Mexico border about their evolving views and votes.

Another story that brought me immense joy was writing about Native Americans in the Tohono O’odham tribe, whose land straddles the border. I was so lucky to be able to speak to tribal leaders—it was quite a lot of work to get permission—and hear their thoughts on the border wall and their role as guardians of the land. They invited me to their powwow in the spring and I returned to Arizona to attend—it was truly magical.

The most difficult stories are undoubtedly the gun violence ones—in particular school shootings. I covered my first school shooting within three weeks of moving to the U.S. I was so naive—I was stunned when the girlfriend of a victim told me the solution to school shootings was to have more guns in schools, with armed guards everywhere. It was my first time hearing that. And the more shootings I covered, the angrier and sadder I got. They never get easier—they probably get worse, as you know nothing significant ever changes and America seems resigned to it.

Is there a unique perspective a foreign journalist can provide in analyzing the news from the United States?

Absolutely. We look at things with fresh eyes, and ask why all the time. I have a friend who has moved to London and I love how she challenges me all the time about Britain: Why is the prime minister also a MP? Isn’t that unfair to his constituents? Why is it wrong to microwave water for tea?!

I’ve also found that Americans are very open to speaking to international journalists, as we come with less baggage. If you say you work for Fox or MSNBC then the person has an immediate connotation, which may well not be fair. But I do find we’re seen as more neutral observers—I’ve had no problem getting either Republicans or Democrats to speak to me. 

Can you offer any advice to aspiring foreign correspondents from around the world who wish to work in the United States?

Do it! It’s a fabulous country, with such diversity—being here is fascinating, and it’s certainly changed my perspective on so many things. I was quite blinkered to a lot of issues before—it’s given me new lenses through which to analyze guns, race, religion, health, education, infrastructure, climate change, food, and so much more.

In terms of practical advice: save up plenty of money! New York is fiendishly expensive compared to almost everywhere. Consider being based elsewhere—pretty much anywhere but NYC—if you are freelancing, as paying NYC rents and taxes on a freelance gig is a huge stress. I did it for a while and it was tough. And be prepared to hustle hard. There are a lot of excellent journalists here, so making your mark is not easy. But make the most of organizations out there to help you, such as the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents!