Deidre Depke
By Trish Anderton
Newly-elected OPC President Deidre Depke is the senior editor and New York bureau chief for public radio’s Marketplace. She has previously worked at The Daily Beast, TheWeek.com, Newsweek and Businessweek. At Newsweek, she served as foreign editor and then helped launch Newsweek.com, where she oversaw coverage of 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and led the site to numerous awards.
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio.
Education: Syracuse University, degrees in journalism and political science.
Languages: Rusty Spanish!
First job in journalism: at first in the trade press and then at Businessweek, I covered the birth of the personal computer industry and the rise of Silicon Valley. It was a fascinating story then and now – and I was fortunate enough to have met all the huge players before they were known – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many others.
Countries you’ve produced the most stories on: When I moved to Newsweek I developed a real interest in the Middle East and in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I traveled to Iran several times and produced early stories about the Taliban and al Qaeda. As events transpired, it was a good background to have.
Year you joined the OPC: Too long ago to remember.
What drew you to international journalism? I had initially applied to Newsweek to work as its business editor. The late great Maynard Parker suggested that I try something entirely new instead. I have always been grateful for his willingness to take that chance on me.
Major challenge as an editor: Keeping up with technology and the relentless news cycle.
Best journalism advice received: Treat people the way you would like to be treated. And never cut corners.
Worst experience as a journalist: Watching the slow death of news organizations as they failed to come to terms with technology and how the business has changed.
When traveling, you like to… Fly first class! In the old days, that’s how we traveled overseas. It was GREAT.
Hardest story: September 11, obviously. I was at Newsweek and running Newsweek.com. We worked for 5 days straight without a break, also helping produce three separate editions of the magazine. It took me several months to fully pull it together after that. I had crying jags at inopportune times for a while. It was the images that haunted me. I must have looked at several thousand photos, many unusable. It was a terribly raw experience.
Journalism heroes: My mother and my father. They were both journalists in Cleveland.
Advice for journalists who want to be foreign correspondents: Don’t skimp on preparation and training. Get a decent medical insurance policy. Learn everything you can about the place you are going before you go.
Dream job: Rich retiree.
Favorite quote: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – the last line of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I’d like it on my gravestone!
Place you’re most eager to visit: Probably Afghanistan. I never made it there. If it’s for fun, the lake region of Italy.
Most over-the- top assignment: Well, the most ridiculous story I’ve ever been involved with was Princess Diana’s death. Luckily, I was editing the two best journalists on the story, Christopher Dickey and Rod Nordland. And they were incredibly professional about it. But when you look back, you have to say, things were blown WAY out of proportion.
Most common mistake you’ve seen: Assuming that a fact is a fact just because it’s on the Internet. Everything is on the Internet.
Twitter handle: @deidredepke
Want to add to the OPC’s collection of Q&As with members? Please contact patricia@opcofamerica.org.