John Roderick (correspondent)

John Roderick
Born(1914-09-15)September 15, 1914
Waterville, Maine, United States
DiedMarch 11, 2008(2008-03-11) (aged 93)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Occupation(s)Author and journalist

John Roderick (September 15, 1914[1] – March 11, 2008) was an American journalist and foreign correspondent for the Associated Press news service. Roderick was best known for covering Mao Zedong and other Chinese Communist guerillas while living with them in a cave during the mid-1940s.[2][3][4] Roderick continued to cover China throughout the rest of his career. He was considered to be a leading "China watcher," who covered the country from before the Chinese Communist victory of 1949 to the economic reforms during the 1980s.[3] He was once praised by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai as the man who "opened the door" to China for foreign news media.[2][3]

Roderick's career as a correspondent with the Associated Press spanned over fifty years, with postings in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.[2] Roderick reopened the Associated Press bureau in Beijing in 1979.[2] He continued to work with the AP as a special correspondent for the two decades following his retirement in 1984.[1]

  1. ^ a b "John Roderick, Veteran AP correspondent whose friendship with China's leaders helped to pave the way for Nixon's visit to Beijing". The Times. London. 2008-03-25. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  2. ^ a b c d Briscoe, David (2008-03-13). "John Roderick; AP Correspondent Captured a Changing China". Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  3. ^ a b c Briscoe, David (2008-03-11). "Longtime Associated Press China-watcher John Roderick dies at 93". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  4. ^ "John Roderick, 93; leading China watcher for AP". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2008-04-06. [dead link]