A Journalist’s Story – The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Go Back
Lecturer, Jon Kapstein
Wednesday, February 19th
1 pm
Between Nov. 9, 1989 and the summer of 1990, history lurched into a new epoch. That November, the world watched in amazement as East Germans streamed through and over the Berlin Wall into West Berlin, with Berliners from both sides of the city celebrating atop the Wall. The collapse of this iconic symbol of the Cold War culminated in German reunification in the summer of 1990 . Taken together, they marked the end of the Soviet empire and the Cold War. Jonathan Kapstein, who worked overseas as a journalist for 48 years, will discuss how he covered the Fall of the Wall thirty years ago and its subsequent impact today. ###
Jonathan Kapstein was assigned to cover the Fall of the Berlin Wall while Brussels regional bureau chief for Business Week. In a 2016 news interview with him available on YouTube , Kapstein highlighted the longterm impact of that epochal event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwIBTYJBCsM. During his 22 years overseas for Business Week he already had been bureau chief in South America, Canada, Italy, and Africa. Kapstein earned a prestigious Overseas Press Club award for Best Reporting from Latin America and received other peer citations ranging from coverage of the bloody and now largely forgotten Iran-Iraq Gulf War to the still relevant issue of how the European Union is transforming the continent. After a stint in the international corporate world Kapstein returned to journalism as a freelancer. He was president of the Press Club Brussels Europe prior to moving his home to Woodbury with his wife Nancy three years ago after 48 years overseas. Early journalism included several years with the Associated Press in New York. Born and raised in Providence RI, Kapstein is a graduate of Brown University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He has held a fellowship at Columbia and was a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. ###
Admission is $15 in advance and $5 for Thread Members. Please use the drop-down menu when registering.