Pulitzer Prize winner, and 2010 DePauw graduate, Ben Solomon, spoke to a group of students and faculty Tuesday night about his career as a video journalist for the New York Times.
“I always knew I wanted to work in the Arab world somewhere,” Solomon said.
Solomon started his career as an intern for the New York Times before picking up and moving to Cairo, Egypt to report on the Arab Spring protests in 2011 as freelancer. In 2014, he filmed pieces that were centered around the ebola crisis in Africa, specifically Sierra Leone, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014.
Solomon’s most recent work is a virtual reality (VR) piece titled “The Fight for Falluja,” which shows the Iraqi forces working to take back the city of Falluja, Iraq from ISIS forces. It is the first VR film made in a combat zone.
Solomon gave a brief background about himself and his latest VR work before diving into audience questions about his career and life. “It’s a ball of cameras,” Solomon said when explaining what a VR camera rig looks like. The rig used to make the “Fight for Falluja” had to be custom-made to ensure it could endure the scorching temperature in Iraq.
“You have to work all the time,” Solomon said. His most recent project lasted from January to July. He then explained that after it was finished he took his first vacation in the last five years.
Solomon was asked about what qualities are needed to make a good international reporter, and if being a man was necessary. “You don’t need to be a man,” Solomon said, “Some of the best journalists I know are women.” He went on to say he believes the most creative journalists are the ones who are constantly curious and ask questions nobody else is thinking.
In addition, Solomon felt traveling so much for journalism has changed his perspective on life. “I have a lot of privilege, so when I travel I try to see things through that lens,” Solomon said. He said he appreciates his life in the United States more after seeing the harsh life that others live in other nations.
Solomon also visited classes to continue telling stories about his career and give advice to students. “That’s the big challenge of being a journalist, knowing the difference between good stories and bad stories,” said Solomon to a news writing class early Tuesday afternoon.
Both students and faculty felt that Solomon had interesting stories to tell. “He had a very deep understanding of the media world, but he also used language that everyone could relate to,” said first year, Jeremy Konzen.
Many students found themselves looking up to Solomon by the end of his speech. “He just easily connected with everyone,” said first year, Tyler Rose, “To think that could be anyone of us in the future is pretty cool.”