Journalists abroad

Those of you who have heard me speak about my trip to China with the Pops know that being a journalist abroad is no picnic. Daniel Wakin reports on his blog on how the press is treated in North Korea, revealing that he had to wear a blue armband with a big P in a circle, fill out many forms (and pay for the privilege at 30 Euros each) and have two "minders," aka Kim 1 and Kim 2, "escorting" him. It seems that the orchestra party was isolated on an island in the middle of a frozen river. They were treated to huge arrays of food, and one musician spotted waiters taking photos of the spread. Schedules kept changing, but they had to quickly adapt, or else. Oh, and the Press showed up for an official press conference that never materialized...

Here's a link to Anthony Tommasini's take on the historic performance shown on PBS, streamed at 4 a.m. Tuesday. To see the video on PBS, click here.