South African journalist JOHN MATISONN. MATISONN is white and grew up in the suburbs in Johannesburg. (His grandparents emigrated to South Africa at the turn of the century). To N-P-R listeners he's best known for his coverage from South Africa from 1986 to 1991. MATISONN also worked in Washington, D.C. He's now the head of elections for the South Africa Broadcasting Company, S-A-B-C, (which before the end of apartheid, broadcast purely government propoganda). He also co-founded the P-B-I, Public Broadcasting Initiative, to train and recruit South African journalists for the SABC to teach them about balance and fairness in the media.
Copyright 1994 Fresh Air