By Trish Anderton
Justin Doebele is chief editorial advisor for Forbes Indonesia, the monthly Indonesian edition of Forbes Magazine, a post he has held since 2010. A few years ago ForbesLife Indonesia was launched, published as a quarterly magazine providing high-end lifestyle coverage. He is based in Jakarta, and for more than 20 years has lived in Asian countries including Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Previously his posts at Forbes included special projects director, Asia Rich List project editor, and senior editor for Forbes Global, becoming that magazine’s first foreign correspondent in 2000, originally covering the region from Singapore. He has reported articles from Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Laos, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan. He also developed the magazine’s famous “Rich Lists” for all the major economies of Asia, a project that has become one of the magazine’s most successful franchises. Previously, he was Bloomberg’s first editor in Asia from late 1989 to early 1993. He has also covered Asia for The Economist Intelligence Unit and Dow Jones Capital Markets. He is president of the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club and a member of the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Hometown: Cambridge, MA.
Education: Harvard BA, Columbia Journalism MSJ.
Languages: English, rusty Japanese and Spanish, currently learning Bahasa Indonesia.
Year you joined the OPC: Many moons ago. I even edited the OPC’s Bulletin for a while, with Sonya Fry and the late Al Kaff.
What drew you to international reporting? What’s not to like? International reporting allows one to get paid to travel to interesting places, meet interesting people and write about them. We also help inform others about people, places and opportunities.
Best journalism advice received: Who, What, Where, When, How and Why.
Worst experience as a journalist: Being on assignment in South Korea when my son was born in Singapore. He arrived a month premature. I wrongly assumed I had time for one more overseas assignment. All the flights back to Singapore had already left Seoul by the time he was born. But thankfully I was able to arrive the next day.
When traveling, you like to…try to stay in the hotel as little as possible. The hotel should be the place where you sleep, otherwise it’s always a good idea to get out and explore a new area.
Most memorable interview: His Majesty Bhumipol Adulyadej, Rama IX, King of Thailand. I have been one of the few journalists allowed to interview the king.
Advice for journalists who want to work overseas: They should join the OPC. It’s a great way to meet fellow international journalists and get plugged into the community.
Is there an Asia story you feel deserves more attention? Indonesia, naturally. Now a $1 trillion economy, it’s a member of the G20. It’s the largest emerging market in Asia after China and India. The country is also the world’s largest by population, and accounts for approximatly 50 percent of the combined economies of ASEAN.
Dream job: The one I have now.
Favorite quote: When in doubt, cut it out.
Place you’re most eager to visit: Anywhere in Asia I haven’t been yet, and I try to make that list smaller every year.
Most over-the-top assignment: Probably whitewater rafting of a river in northern Myanmar. We had to get special military permission to visit the area, as it is near the Myanmar-Chinese border. As far as we could tell, we were the first foreigners to ever raft down the river.
Country you most want to return to: Wherever there’s a good story.
Twitter handle: Sorry, I don’t tweet.
Want to add to the OPC’s collection of Q&As with members? Please contact patricia@opcofamerica.org.