Not many journalists have the opportunity to train with the elite Special Forces of South Africa or retrace the real-life trek of Lawrence of Arabia. It is the rare reporter who lives among the Hmong tribes in Laos – whose ranks include ex-CIA trained special forces – and, having become so involved in their lives, helps 35,000 of the tribal members escape for America. But it’s all in a day’s work for WorldNetDaily’s Anthony C. LoBaido.
For the last three years, LoBaido has thrilled WND readers with his often harrowing and always insightful reports of international intrigue. The roving correspondent has made it his life’s work to learn and write about other cultures and their struggles. And he has a knack for relating those struggles to the values and heritage Americans revere.
Most recently, LoBaido has continued his exposure of the slaughter of white South African farmers that has taken place since 1994, when the Marxist African National Congress took power at the end of apartheid. Since then, 1,118 farmers have been murdered in the nation.
Known as Afrikaner, the farmers are descendants of Dutch and other Europeans who settled South Africa in the 19th century. The Afrikaner plight has been the subject of many of LoBaido’s reports as he has traveled extensively in South Africa during the last decade. And in his articles about Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, the South African Apartheid Mercenary Army Executive Outcomes and the Christian, anti-Marxist Angolan rebel group UNITA, he has documented the West’s support for tyrannical regimes throughout Southern Africa.
The world traveler has seen more than his share of suffering in other countries as well. LoBaido has worked as a journalist in more than 30 countries, including Kurdistan/Iraq, North and South Korea, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma.
While in Hong Kong, he entered the secret world of the Hong Kong Blondes – a high-tech form of anti-Communist guerrillas whose battlefield is in cyberspace. Known to the Chinese government, the People’s Liberation Army, the American CIA, FBI and other government and corporate officials, the Hong Kong Blondes have hacked their way into the internal affairs of China’s military industrial complex, as well as the western transnational corporations that do business with China. LoBaido’s reports on the clandestine cyber-warriors gave WND readers an inside look at one of Communist China’s most-feared subversives.
LoBaido’s unique experiences have put him in harm’s way many times, but the journalist believes the sacrifices he has made for his career are worthwhile. He recalled one instance while in Thailand when a taxi driver attempted to stab him from behind. The reporter’s escape was facilitated by two Israeli commandos who were on vacation and happened to be nearby when the attack took place.
“I’ve learned that there is good and bad in every culture, race, tongue, nation and religion. And just when I’ve needed it most, there have always been people around to help – with food, a bed, a ride, first aid or simple directions. This is no coincidence, of course, because the traveler must earn this good karma by helping others in duress. And make no mistake – I’ve learned that God is there and that he cares for every single one of our needs,” he wrote in the August 2000 edition of WND’s sister print publication, “WorldNet” magazine – now known as “Whistleblower.”
Not all threats along the way have been made by weapons. After his trips to Laos and Cambodia, LoBaido became extremely ill and took refuge in a cheap Bangkok hotel.
“I was so sick, I actually wrote out a will,” he said. “My sheets were totally soaked with sweat. I couldn’t even get up for almost a week. I kept having a dream about Andy Pettitte, the great left-handed pitcher for the Yankees. I don’t know what that meant, if anything. The Yankees were going to dump Pettitte, even though he is the best lefty in the entire league. I guess it goes to show that you have to produce every day to be at an elite level in any field or occupation. You can’t rest on yesterday’s accomplishments.”
Consistent with the life lesson he illustrated, LoBaido has continued his forward progress into journalism since he graduated with a political science degree from Arizona State University. From there, he received his master’s degree in international journalism at Baylor University. While at Baylor, the polished speaker and writer won the “Best Columnist Award” from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Though the last several years of LoBaido’s career have been spent visiting distant lands, the international correspondent has also worked stateside. An accomplished filmmaker, he began his doctorate work at Texas A&M, where he was hired by former U.S. President George Bush to produce a documentary on Bush’s life. Proceeds from the video helped raise millions of dollars to build the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M. The video was featured on CNN in August of 1993.
LoBaido’s articles on international events have been translated into French and Russian and published in Russia, neighboring ex-Soviet republics, Belgium, France and former countries of the French Empire.
Yet despite his diverse and prolonged travels in recent years, LoBaido still manages to keep up with American pop culture. He’s an avid fan of “The Simpsons” and likens his transnational adventures to those of fictional-adventure icon Indiana Jones.
“I felt like Indiana Jones when I went to the Mayan ruins at Tikal in Guatemala, to Noah’s Ark in Eastern Turkey, to the stone city of Petra in Jordan and to Angkor Wat in Cambodia – where Angelina Jolie filmed “Tomb Raider.” I really liked riding horses at the Dead Sea and elephants through the jungles of Southeast Asia. Also one of my favorite stories was re-tracing the route of Lawrence of Arabia through Lebanon and Jordan. Lawrence was the ultimate Special Forces soldier.”
Soon, LoBaido will return to Belize, where he will train with British Special Forces. The journalist is already trained in the martial arts, which he taught at the University of Houston for a time. The experience promises more exciting reports, which WND readers have come to expect from LoBaido, who says his time with people of other cultures has greatly expanded his horizons.
“Of course, I’ve written it all down, because the stories are so incredible, so unbelievable that if I didn’t record them and photograph them, I might look back and fear I am losing my mind,” he wrote last year. “Did these things really happen? Yes, they did – I have pictures.”
