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Reportage Articles

Robert Michael Poole has written for a wide variety of magazines, newspaper and new media sources such as: AP, CNN, MTV, Interview, the Wall Street Journal, and global inflight travel magazines.

Daily Telegraph 2019 September

Business as usual in the Caribbean

by Robert Michael Poole

Step out of bed into a warm turquoise sea

I get wary when a beach in the Caribbean is described as having “pink” sand, yet here I am holding a handful of grains and shell fragments that are without a doubt roseate…

Daily Telegraph 2018 October

Which is the perfect Caribbean island for you?

by Robert Michael Poole

From the unspoilt Out Islands of the Bahamas, to the bustling salsa bars of Havana, the Caribbean has a destination to delight everyone.

Here we highlight the best islands appropriate for every taste, pocket and circumstance.

For the Daily Telegraph’s Caribbean guide, my images were used for the cover and inside double-page spread, depicting the junglescapes of the Bahamas at Four Seasons Ocean Club, and inside of the mountainside of Nevis in St Kitts & Nevis.

Blouin Artinfo 2016 April

One Year Later: Photographer Shows “Endurance” of Nepal Earthquake Victims

by Robert Michael Poole

This April 25 will see the anniversary of one of the most traumatic events in the history of Nepal, an earthquake that measured 7.8 which resulted in the deaths of almost 9,000. “A colleague once told me, ‘If the story is not told, it does not exist’” says Omar Havana, who captured the aftermath in this series of images.

Culture and Travel 2015 December

Preserving Laotian Art & Culture in Vang Vieng

by Robert Michael Poole

In one local village called Nakhe, the rapid rate of disappearance of the village itself is apparent before visitors eyes, with it clear that by this time next year, precious little of the old houses will still be standing.

BBC 2013 October

BBC World Service: World Have Your Say: Bohol Earthquake

by Robert Michael Poole

When the 2013 Bohol earthquake struck on the central island of the Philippines at 8:12 a.m. on October 15, I was riding a motorbike with a local friend right by its epicenter. After I began tweeting images of the immediate aftermath, I was contacted by the BBC to provide on the ground reporting, and images for their stories. The following evening, I joined BBC World Service’s show World Have Your Say as the opening guest in order to explain the feeling of being near the epicenter of the earthquake, and the devastation around me as locals scrambled to find survivors and recover the dead.

Solar News Channel 2013 October

Solar News Channel: Live studio report on Bohol Earthquake

by Robert Michael Poole

The day following the Bohol Earthquake I was invited as a guest on national Philippines news channel Solar News. They were interested in how my images from social media exposed the reality of the earthquake to the world so quickly.

CNN 2013 October

Dozens dead as magnitude-7.1 earthquake hits the Philippines

by Robert Michael Poole

When the 2013 Bohol earthquake struck on the central island of the Philippines at 8:12 a.m. on October 15, I was riding a motorbike with a local friend right by its epicenter. The quake measured 7.2, ripping up roads in front of me, and no doubt causing much more damage inland.

Amongst many live reports and comments I gave to domestic and international media, was this interview for CNN’s Lateef Mungin.

AFP 2013 October

2013 Bohol Earthquake in Philippines: Live Reporting

by Robert Michael Poole

When the 2013 Bohol earthquake struck on the central island of the Philippines at 8:12 a.m. on October 15, I was riding a motorbike with a local friend right by its epicenter. The quake measured 7.2, ripping up roads in front of me, and no doubt causing much more damage inland. I began tweeting images, and within a few minutes it became apparent that I was the only one with the right equipment, knowledge and mode of transport to be able to document the immediate aftermath.

ABS-CBN 2013 October

@tokyodrastic talks about the effects of quake in Bohol

by Robert Michael Poole

Robert Michael Poole, Blouin Artinfo Japan Bureau Chief, talks to ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) about the damage wrought by the M7.2 quake in Loboc, Bohol.

When the 2013 Bohol earthquake struck on the central island of the Philippines at 8:12 a.m. on October 15, I was riding a motorbike with a local friend right by its epicenter. The quake measured 7.2, ripping up roads in front of me, and no doubt causing much more damage inland. I began tweeting images, and within a few minutes it became apparent that I was the only one with the right equipment, knowledge and mode of transport to be able to document the immediate aftermath.

Huffington Post 2012 March

Japan Earthquake Anniversary: Tsunami Survivors Tell Their Stories

by Robert Michael Poole

Japan’s 2011 earthquake anniversary provides an opportunity to look back at the worst natural disaster of 2011 and the individuals it affected. The Huffington Post worked with Tokyo-based writer Robert Michael Poole and photographer Benjamin Parks to put together a series examining the lives of those who lived through the disaster in Ishinomaki, one of the hardest-hit cities both in terms of the number of lives lost and structural damage.

The people they spoke with, from a cab driver to a sake store owner, shared how their lives were changed and how they have set about to rebuild in the years ahead.

Huffington Post 2012 March

Japan Earthquake Anniversary: Survivor Yuichi Kowata Says Government ‘Reacted Too Late’

by Robert Michael Poole

Outside the Ishinomaki train station, taxis line up for visitors and commuters as usual. 70-year-old taxi driver Yuichi Kowata, who knew the town and its inhabitants better than most, bears the weight of the town’s losses in his expression. While the camaraderie of the drivers remains strong, the sense of sadness and grief is all too apparent.

Huffington Post 2012 March

Japan Tsunami Anniversary: Toshinobu Sato & Yuki Amano’s Survivor Story

by Robert Michael Poole

One year after the tsunami and earthquake that devastated the northeast coast of Japan and left thousands of people dead, Robert Michael Poole and photographer Benjamin Parks traveled to Ishinomaki, one of the worst-hit cities, to ask survivors how the recovery is progressing, about the government’s response to the disaster, and how the people are coping.

Huffington Post 2012 March

Japan Tsunami Anniversary: Ishinomaki One Year Later

by Robert Michael Poole

The massive impact of tsunami waves that struck Ishinomaki, Japan, on March 11, 2011, can’t be overstated; more than 3,000 Ishinomaki residents died in the inundation and undertow, and nearly 3,000 more remain missing. According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, ocean waves overcame 46 percent of the city’s land, swelling the Kitakami river after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off of Japan’s northeast coast. The Huffington Post talks to survivors one year on.

CNN 2011 March

Breaking News: 2011 Earthquake in Japan

by Robert Michael Poole

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck while I was at work at CNN, at 2.46pm. Tokyo being a city regularly suffering from earthquakes, it began like most, slowly shaking and not immediately causing concern. But unlike regular quakes, this one continued for some time, and grew in the size of vibrations as it continued. After around 15-20 seconds it became apparent it could be the big one Tokyo was expecting.

CNN 2010 December

Mao Asada: ‘Not performing well … makes me question whether I can really do it’

by Robert Michael Poole

It is hard to forget the images of tears on Mao Asada’s face that broadcast around the world when her triple axel jumps failed her during this year’s Winter Olympics. Since then, Asada has been plagued with disappointing performances, and her season is off to a slow start. Indeed, just 10 days before she competes at Japan’s National Championships, she says her season has yet to begin.

Number 1 Shimbun 2009 July

Learning to survive in Nepal

by Robert Michael Poole

To see the sea was the biggest surprise. It’s so big I can’t catch it in my eyes!” beams 15-year-old Laxmi Napit on her first trip to Japan. The star pupil of Nepal’s Himalaya Primary School, she represents the achievements of two Japa- nese men who are attempting to reverse Nepal’s status as South Asia’s poorest country by providing free education.

According to UNICEF, more than 3,000 Nepalese children die every month, and 60 percent of those deaths are due to malnutrition.And the country’s education system is a shambles following the 1996- 2006 civil war.

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