Veteran Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin looks back on a three‑decade career that began in Moscow in 1997, just months after the network launched. She arrived as Russian President Boris Yeltsin was recovering from heart surgery and the Mir Space Station suffered its first fire.
Early days in Russia
Griffin describes the chaotic political climate, noting Yeltsin’s frequent cabinet reshuffles and Vladimir Putin’s rise from deputy chief of the Presidential Staff to head of the FSB. She witnessed the turmoil of the late‑1990s, including the crash of the ruble and the surge of organized crime.
Covering the Kosovo war
In March 1999 Griffin was sent to NATO headquarters in Brussels to report on the Kosovo bombing campaign. She recalls the shock of a U.S. B‑2 Spirit mistakenly striking the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, a tragedy later attributed to a CIA targeting error.
After the campaign, Griffin joined Fox’s Jerusalem bureau, arriving just as the Oslo peace process faltered. She was on the ground when the Second Intifada erupted in September 2000, covering suicide bombings, checkpoints and the intense daily conflict.
Family and faith
During her Jerusalem assignment Griffin discovered she was pregnant, giving birth to two daughters while reporting from a war zone. She highlights the close‑knit “family” atmosphere at Fox News, noting that reporters often helped each other despite limited resources.
Griffin also emphasizes how her Christian faith sustained her through dangerous assignments, from the siege of Bethlehem to the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, where she and her team rushed to the disaster’s epicenter.
Legacy of perseverance
Throughout her career, Griffin says she learned to adapt quickly—learning television reporting on the job, negotiating access with soldiers, and even offering cigarettes to gain entry to a Russian base. Her story underscores the resilience of journalists who serve both their profession and their families, guided by faith and a sense of duty.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
