MediaBistro interview
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
An International Correspondent, Based in
Brooklyn
Gail Shister
TVNewser Columnist
Baghdad to Brooklyn โ how's that for culture shock?
After almost seven years โ and three kidnappings โ in
Iraq, CNN's Michael Ware says his recent reassignment
to New York has been a difficult transition.
"My body still feels like it's constantly dodging
bullets," says Ware, who lives in Brooklyn's
Williamsburg section.
"Crowds can feel threatening. When I open a window,
I'm looking for snipers. If somebody cuts me off in
traffic, it could be the beginning of a kidnapping."
Ware, an intrepid Aussie, says his post-traumatic
stress is no different from that of many of his
soldier friends'. "It's about learning how to come
home. It's not a simple thing. It takes a lot of time
and care. I'm getting help as I go through the
process."
A former prosecutor and pro rugby player, Ware, 40,
joined CNN International in 2006 after serving as
Time's Baghdad bureau chief. He appeared regularly on
Anderson Cooper's "360."
Ware made tabloid headlines in June 2008 over his
alleged involvement in a Baghdad love triangle with
CBS's Lara Logan and married U.S. State Department
contractor Joe Burkett.
Ware says he and Logan dated from 2005 to '07, but
won't comment on reports of an alleged smackdown with
Burkett. "That's personal business," he says.
Ware's new three-year contract is with CNN/U.S. An
official "360" correspondent, his work will continue
to appear on CNNi, he says.
Just back from covering the drug wars in Mexico, he's
prepping for a trek to Afghanistan. Central America
will be his primary beat, he says.
Despite appearances to the contrary, Ware insists he
does not have a death wish.
"For better or worse, I'm a war dog," he says. "To
me, there's a strong allure from conflict. In a human
sense, the insights and experiences you have can't be
replicated anywhere else.
"In war, we see the very best and very worst of
ourselves. It never ceases to amaze me how combat
distills everything to its purest essence. On the
front line, you cannot hide from yourself."
Ware's battlefield longevity defies explanation, he
admits. "Sometimes the gift of gab can save you.
Sometimes it's leaning to the left rather than the
right. Sometimes it's luck."
Luck can be pressed, however, and Ware knows it.
"I don't buy lottery tickets," he says. "If I didn't
have life insurance through CNN, I shudder to think
what the premium would be."