On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent

A powerful memoir revealing the pressures, joys, and traumas of witnessing history up close and personal, from one of Canada’s most prominent and decorated foreign correspondents.

Brian Stewart is a trusted voice who brought stories of the world home to Canadians for decades on CBC’s The National.

He saw it all firsthand--triumph and ecstasy; carnage and unspeakable suffering--and bore the responsibility of shining a light on the most exciting and most horrifying moments of the late 20th century, including the Gulf War and the Ethiopian famine, reporting from sandstorms and shootouts, palaces and embassies. He spoke with the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, and Nelson Mandela; with armed militants, activists, aid workers, and more.

Now, for the first time, he is sharing his experience of the cost, both personal and professional, of bringing truth home from around the world. Reading like a whirlwind trip through the highs and lows of modern history from one of its most passionate students, On the Ground brings politics, war, and social change to vivid life.

An arresting tale of courage, curiosity, and empathy from a time when the news media held the public’s trust, Stewart’s honest and balanced storytelling is not only the fascinating tale of where one man’s quest to witness history took him but also a sobering reminder of the staggering value of wise, responsible, and honorable journalism.

Brian Stewart was for decades one of the Canada’s most prominent television journalists and was acclaimed for his foreign coverage for both CBC’s The National and The Journal. Born in Montréal, and originally a newspaper reporter, Stewart went on to become foreign correspondent for CBC in London and NBC in Frankfurt. He worked in ten war zones, was host of the CBC Foreign Affairs show Worldview, and interviewed many of the historic figures of his time, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Salman Rushdie, and Henry Kissinger. After retiring, he was appointed Senior Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. Stewart is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Canada.