SOME YEARS AGO, when I began as The Christian Science Monitor's first resident correspondent in the people's Republic of China, I found myself thinking about Mary Baker Eddy's intent in establishing this international newspaper. I had worked for the Monitor in many countries, and wherever I went, I had always found a warm response to the paper, with most people characterizing it as "fair," "unbiased," and "informative." But in my new post in China, I had to pray vigorously to overcome apprehension.
This vast land had just emerged from a traumatic period of dictatorship known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Although it had begun its transition to a more open, less repressive form of government and a less rigidly controlled economy, it remained a Communist country. As I prayed to know how to perform my duty as a reporter honestly and fairly, without fear and without hostility, I found myself asking what the Monitor's purpose was in today's world.
In my post in China, I had to pray to overcome apprehension.
