Goodbye Global

It is a bittersweet time here at the CQ Researcher, as we have just put the finishing touches on the last CQ Global Researcher (“Booming Africa”). For the past five years, in 94 reports, the Global Researcher covered topics that often go unexamined by inside-the Beltway pack journalists or foreign correspondents who parachute into a country to cover breaking news story on a one-off basis. CQGR reporters took a planet-wide lens to view such issues as gay rights, land ownership, piracy, child soldiers and wildlife smuggling.

It was not unusual for a reporter working on one of our stories to call and ask in amazement, “Can you believe that this is happening?”  Such as:

•    About 160 million Asian babies have been aborted or killed over the last 30 years — just because they were female, leading to a gender imbalance that over the next 20 years will leave 30-50 million Chinese men able to find wives. (“Gendercide Crisis,” Oct. 4, 2011)
•    “Transplant tourism” is thriving in developing countries. But the patients who travel from wealthy countries to obtain a new kidney or other organ at a fraction of the cost at home often don’t know the organ has been harvested from a poor laborer, often to pay off a debt, or worse, from a condemned prisoner whose organs were harvested without his consent after his death. (“Organ Trafficking,” July 19, 2011)
•    Of the 100 million tons of plastic waste generated worldwide each year, less than 5 percent is recycled. Much of the rest ends up in the world's sewers, oceans and rivers, where it chokes or contaminates animals, fish and shorelines. (“Plastic Pollution,” July 1, 2010)
•    The world’s large predatory marine species — such as sharks, tuna, grouper, cod, swordfish and marlin — are being decimated so rapidly that some scientists say the oceans are returning to an evolutionary time when they were dominated by algae and jellyfish.  (“Oceans in Crisis,” Oct. 1, 2007)
•    Laos is the most bombed nation on Earth. From 1966 to 1975, during its so-called Secret War, the United States dropped more bombs on Laos than were dropped on Europe by all combatants during World War II — the equivalent of a B-52 bomb load every eight minutes for nearly 10 years. Millions of unexploded bombs have left a third of the country uninhabitable -- a problem faced by more than 70 countries crippled by the deadly remnants of war. (“Dangerous War Debris,” March 1, 2010)

But long after such reportage has faded from memory, our readers will remember the haunting, stunning and inspiring photos that accompanied Global Researcher reports, showing people facing unimaginable adversity with dignity and resilience: the Chinese father weeping as he is reunited with his toddler rescued from human traffickers; two Pakistani women – their faces disfigured by acid attacks by spurned suitors -- staring bravely into the camera; and the tiny war-displaced Somali boy, standing beside his temporary desert home, a hut made of twigs covered by piece of cloth. Indeed, reading the Global gave one a whole new perspective on everyday “struggles.” Flat tires and leaky roofs become opportunities for gratefulness. At least we have cars, with tires -- and roofs on our houses. 

A terrific group of seasoned, talented journalists gave Global Researcher its credibility and impact, notably Brian Beary, Roland Flamini, Sarah Glazer, Reed Karaim, Rob Kiener, Jina Moore and Jennifer Weeks, among others.  Here are thoughts from some of the writers and others who have supported the Global Researcher:

          “In a world where well-researched, acutely edited international reporting is an increasingly rare commodity, the CQ Global Researcher offered its readers an invaluable window into a mind-boggling array of topics. From the latest political developments in Myanmar to an examination of the Euro crisis to recent developments in Islamic sectarianism, these reports offered readers the chance to explore foreign issues first-hand, complete with a multitude of international voices. And, for a writer, these global reports were an unparalleled opportunity to report and cover international issues with the backing of a talented, experienced editorial team.”
--Rob Kiener

          “Writing for CQ Global Researcher really stretched the writer, not just because of the length of the reports -- which in these days of journalism-lite was probably unique -- but also because each publication required a sound, real-time knowledge of the issues or country, a thoughtful approach and a clear way of expressing it. Nothing else passed editorial muster.”
--Roland Flamini

          “I always think about the very first description I read of Global -- I don't know who wrote this sentence – but it was something like, "Global will ask not what will happen if Iran gets the bomb, but rather should Iran get the bomb." That really captured the essence of the publication and its globalist -- as opposed to U.S.-centered -- perspective, which I felt made it a unique and valuable publication.”
--Brian Beary

          "For more than five years the CQ Global Researcher has been an amazing journalistic enterprise, extending the format and reach of the acclaimed CQ Researcher to international issues and perspectives. There hardly seems to be any corner of the globe (or of Space!) that the Global Researcher has not gone to bring its rare and exceptional long-form stories. In an age where American students have begun to peer beyond the borders of the USA to engage a wider world, the topics covered in the Global Researcher always been both ahead of the news cycle and yet more thorough and authoritative than any competing source. That's a neat trick! How did they do that?

          "Kudos to the dedicated and fiercely independent editorial team that produced, and the journalists who penned, these stories. I have had the pleasure to interact with many of them as they produced this body of work. I know what a hard yet passionate labor it was. Well done!"
--Doug Goldenberg-Hart, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Reference, CQ Press

Sincere thanks to all.

--Kathy Koch, Managing Editor
CQ Global Researcher