Notoriously, the news never sleeps. Though Jeremy Bowen is a busy man who currently has “very many demands”, I was incredibly fortunate that he gave up some of his time to discuss his experiences at UCL and reflect on his career so far.
From his beginnings as a history undergraduate in Bloomsbury, to living in Jerusalem as the BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Bowen has lived a diverse and “dangerous” life as an eye-witness reporter on many major global events of recent history.
Student life
Bowen took a year out before enrolling at UCL, stating that students did not call the year between high school and university “gap years” when he was 18. Somewhat foreshadowing his illustrious international career, but also conforming to the stereotypes of a gap year, Bowen spent 1978/79 travelling, and working on yachts and in pubs.
Having grown up in Wales, Bowen’s reflection of feeling a lack of belonging and the financial burden of university is probably a sentiment that many UCL students can relate to. “London’s a big city, and if you haven’t got a great deal of money, it’s not massive fun.”
He confesses that he did not have an amazing first two years at UCL: laughing over his 93 Gower Street accommodation being a “complete slum”, a broken arm prevented him from playing rugby, alluded to “some drama” in first year, and found that his History degree was “basically teach yourself.”
When reflecting on being taught history at the University, Bowen professes, “I think the course probably could have been better structured, and certainly better explained.”
However, once he "understood how to study better” in his third year, his university research interests of “post war and international order” provided a valuable perspective for the future BBC International News Editor. After graduating from UCL, Bowen studied a two-year International Affairs MA in Bologna and at Johns Hopkins. Having eventually learnt how to enjoy studying history, the journalist opted for “historically based” courses during his masters.
Bowen appreciates that his history degree did help “a great deal” in preparing him for his career, “as a journalist, it is really important to understand how we got to where we are.”
An “exciting, challenging adventure”
From reporting about the Gulf War in Baghdad, being robbed at gunpoint in Kosovo, and colleagues being killed in Lebanon, Bowen is no stranger to the brutal realities of conflict. Yet, for all the obvious risks that come with frontline journalism, Bowen finds fulfilment when he can look back on his work having gone to “a place that was very challenging.”
Bowen emphasises the importance of being a “live witness” when it comes to reporting, “I believe that you need to see things for yourself, even if that could be dangerous.” In more recent memory, Bowen reported live from the Ukraine since the 2022 invasion of the country, and has also reported from Gaza since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out in 2023.
One has to possess bravery when live reporting on such brutal events, but Bowen concedes that early on in his career, he would feel “pretty strong and indestructible… probably wrongly, definitely wrongly, because we’re not indestructible.”
Though the “vast majority of journalists never go anywhere near dangerous” he believes attaining this first-hand perspective of people enduring a "horrendous time” is fundamental to providing an “accurate and truthful” news report.
Bowen elaborates further about this “wider journalistic motive” being the “best justification” for his work. From reporting in several countries where politicians may opt to limit the information they provide to global news outlets, he finds it “really important to pursue the truth”, even if there are very real threats.
“To get to the truth, find out what's going on in the dark corners of the world.”
Difficult questions
Bowen has interviewed many world figures, from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to Bashar al-Assad. He was also one of the last people to interview Muammar Gaddafi, flying out to Tripoli just weeks after the Libyan Civil War broke out. He recalls that his encounter with the dictator was "remarkable when you're in a room with someone who is so recognisable.”
The journalist has established “rules” when it comes to “interviewing anybody who is in a position of power, and that is to try and hold them to account, and to ask some tough questions without fear or favour.”
Through his aforementioned search for the truth often coming from first-hand perspectives, Bowen told Gaddafi that his perception of being in Libya was “There are plenty of people in this country would say that the biggest obstacle to change, for them and for Libya, is you.”
The blunt questions of “How does this all end [referring to the 2011 Libyan Civil War]?” and “What about the fact that you have lost control of a lot of the country?" lead to a tense interview with the Libyan dictator.
Subsequently, whilst frontline reporting on the war, Bowen’s notebooks that contained interviews and contact numbers disappeared. The notebooks were later found in a targeted convoy that also carried Khamis Gaddafi [Muammar Gaddafi’s son].
The news today
The world looks very different from when Bowen donned his graduation cap in 1982, and reflects on how this digital age has impacted the spread of information, and misinformation. The journalist professes he does “expect to be criticised” and “we do try to get it right the whole time.” Yet, Bowen believes people are getting ever increasingly wary of reporters.
“The level of trust that people have in journalists is much lower than it was, sometimes it’s justified, sometimes it’s not.” He states the causes are “complex”, but believes that “some publications have brought journalism into disrepute.”
Despite this increased lack of trust some readers may possess, Bowen reassures that news can be “credible, from the right places”, with a “market leader” of reliable news being The New York Times.
(Of course, other news sources are available)
Spoken like a true BBC veteran, who ought to strive for balance and neutrality, Bowen finds it “healthy if people are critical and questioning about what they’re hearing and what they’re reading”.
However, the journalist finds that social media has led to a level of complacency by website algorithms being able to hook users by only exposing people to a one sided perspective of what they "truly, deeply believe in.”
In an era of data tracking and cookies, the reporter highlights the risks of less critical thinking harming society today, “I do think that people these days, because of social media, are quite used to hearing things that confirm their views rather than challenge them.”
“Sometimes the truth hurts.” Yet, some may be less inclined to accept that reality.
Advice for budding journalists
Bowen appreciates that it’s “never particularly easy” when one has to make personal “sacrifices” in order to get an important news story out; “in the news business, things often happen at very unexpected times”, and this is often at the expense of a social life.
As a seasoned journalist with a wealth of experience, Bowen’s advice for anyone wanting to enter the industry is to "absolutely go for it.” Being an International News Editor, he does make it clear that to enter his line of work, “you have to be interested in the world.”
“It’s not rocket science, but you do need to know some things.”
I think it is pretty clear that Bowen's experiences as a journalist have led him to know far more than just “some things”!