- Source: Peter Mackler
Peter Mackler (1949–2008) was an American journalist who was associated with Agence France-Presse (AFP) and instrumental in developing the AFP's English-language service.
Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism is named after him.
Biography
Born on August 22, 1949, in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, Mackler earned a degree in psychology and initially worked as a child psychologist before shifting to journalism at United Press International in 1973. He joined AFP in the U.S. in September 1979 and later relocated to the agency's editing desk in Hong Kong in 1982. He served as bureau chief in Sydney and Singapore. His work in Asia helped expand the influence of AFP's English dispatches. During the 1991 Gulf War, colleagues informally referred to him as "General Mackler" for his organizational skill in securing early access for AFP correspondents in Kuwait City.
Mackler subsequently worked in Brussels and became chief editor in Washington in 1994, later serving as deputy regional director. He was appointed senior reporter based in Paris to cover terrorism, reporting on events such as the September 11 attack and the subsequent war in Afghanistan. In 2004, he returned to Washington to cover the State Department and was named chief editor for North America in 2006.
In 2004, Mackler founded the Global Media Forum, an organization that develops training programs for journalists in developing countries. In 2007, he worked with the AFP Foundation on a United Nations-backed training project for journalists in Lebanon.