Kate Webb
Encyclopedia
Kate Webb was a New Zealand
-born Australia
n foreign correspondent for UPI and Agence France Presse.
, New Zealand
, Webb moved to Canberra
, Australia
with her family while still a child. Her father, Leicester Chisholm Webb, was professor of political science at the Australian National University
and her mother, Caroline Webb, was active in women's organisations .
On 30 March 1958, Catherine Webb was charged with the murder of Victoria Fenner, the adopted daughter of Frank Fenner
in Canberra
. She supplied a rifle and bullets to Fenner and was present when Fenner shot herself. After a Children's Court hearing the charge was dropped.
She graduated from the University of Melbourne
, then left to work for the Sydney Daily Mirror
. In 1967 she quit the paper and travelled to Vietnam
to cover the escalating war
. Webb was soon hired by UPI and earned a reputation as a hard-drinking, chain-smoking war correspondent: she was the first wire correspondent to reach the US Embassy, Saigon during the Tet offensive. With the death of Phnom Penh bureau chief Frank Frosch in 1970, Webb was selected to fill his position—she later claimed it was because she spoke French
. In 1971 she made news herself when she was captured by North Vietnam
ese troops operating in Cambodia
. Premature official reports claimed that a body discovered was Webb's, and the New York Times published an obituary. She emerged from captivity 23 days* after she was captured, after having endured forced marches, interrogations, and malaria. She described her experiences in War Torn, a collection of reminiscences by women correspondents in the Vietnam War.
After the war, she continued to work as a foreign correspondent for UPI and Agence France-Presse
(AFP), and served as a correspondent in Iraq during the Gulf War
, in Indonesia
as Timor-Leste gained independence, and in North Korea
, where she was the first to report the death of Kim Il Song. She also served in Afghanistan
, and later described an incident in Kabul
as the most frightening in her career. Following the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah
's communist regime
, she was captured by a local warlord and brought to a hotel, where she was brutally beaten and dragged up a flight of stairs by her hair. She finally escaped with the help of two fellow journalists, and hid out on a window ledge in the freezing Afghan winter, while the warlord and his men searched the building for her.
Webb retired to the Hunter Valley
in 2001. She died of bowel cancer on 13 May 2007. AFP established the Kate Webb Journalism Award with a €3,000 to €5,000 prize, awarded annually to a correspondent or agency that best exemplified the spirit of Kate Webb (http://www.facebook.com/pages/AFP-Kate-Webb-Prize/171542209534709).
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n foreign correspondent for UPI and Agence France Presse.
Biography
Born Catherine Merrial Webb in ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Webb moved to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with her family while still a child. Her father, Leicester Chisholm Webb, was professor of political science at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
and her mother, Caroline Webb, was active in women's organisations .
On 30 March 1958, Catherine Webb was charged with the murder of Victoria Fenner, the adopted daughter of Frank Fenner
Frank Fenner
Frank John Fenner, AC, CMG, MBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian scientist with a distinguished career in the field of virology...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. She supplied a rifle and bullets to Fenner and was present when Fenner shot herself. After a Children's Court hearing the charge was dropped.
She graduated from the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, then left to work for the Sydney Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror (Australia)
The Daily Mirror was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which...
. In 1967 she quit the paper and travelled to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to cover the escalating war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Webb was soon hired by UPI and earned a reputation as a hard-drinking, chain-smoking war correspondent: she was the first wire correspondent to reach the US Embassy, Saigon during the Tet offensive. With the death of Phnom Penh bureau chief Frank Frosch in 1970, Webb was selected to fill his position—she later claimed it was because she spoke French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. In 1971 she made news herself when she was captured by North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
ese troops operating in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Premature official reports claimed that a body discovered was Webb's, and the New York Times published an obituary. She emerged from captivity 23 days* after she was captured, after having endured forced marches, interrogations, and malaria. She described her experiences in War Torn, a collection of reminiscences by women correspondents in the Vietnam War.
After the war, she continued to work as a foreign correspondent for UPI and Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
(AFP), and served as a correspondent in Iraq during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
as Timor-Leste gained independence, and in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, where she was the first to report the death of Kim Il Song. She also served in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and later described an incident in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
as the most frightening in her career. Following the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah
Mohammad Najibullah
Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai , originally merely Najibullah, was the fourth and last President of the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. He is also considered the second President of the Republic of Afghanistan.-Early years:Najibullah was born in August 1947 to the Ahmadzai...
's communist regime
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
, she was captured by a local warlord and brought to a hotel, where she was brutally beaten and dragged up a flight of stairs by her hair. She finally escaped with the help of two fellow journalists, and hid out on a window ledge in the freezing Afghan winter, while the warlord and his men searched the building for her.
Webb retired to the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
in 2001. She died of bowel cancer on 13 May 2007. AFP established the Kate Webb Journalism Award with a €3,000 to €5,000 prize, awarded annually to a correspondent or agency that best exemplified the spirit of Kate Webb (http://www.facebook.com/pages/AFP-Kate-Webb-Prize/171542209534709).
External links
- Fearless reporter in search of truth Obituary, The Sydney Morning Herald 18 May 2007