Olivier Knox: Building AFP

The year was 1996, maybe four or five months after he had hired me, and Peter was describing the evolution of AFP's English-language service. He was justifiably proud of severing ties to AP, whose stories AFP used to have to use for North American coverage. But what I remember most is his description of the shocked reaction from the Associated Press boss when Peter told him we'd be going our own way: "So, are you smoking the crack, or is Paris?" Where others might have been tempted to recount an exaggeratedly witty response, Peter let his accomplishments in building AFP's English service speak for themselves.

Peter hired me in July 1996, fresh out of graduate school, my only journalism experience a year-long stint as the factotum to a French newspaper correspondent in Washington. He took chances on me -- hiring me, assigning me to cover Congress, then the Gore campaign, then the White House. He pushed, pulled, cajoled, wined-and-dined, shouted and generally did everything he could to get me to do my best work. I later found out that he (and Christopher Boian) had resisted pressure to pull me from Congress when the impeachment saga began in favor of putting in a more seasoned reporter...that is to say, anyone, really. A year later, Peter told me that he had promised The Powers That Be that I would be gently but quickly eased out at the first sign of a major mistake. It was the highest praise I have ever received at AFP: "You met Peter Mackler's standards."

I share my colleagues' fond-but-with-a-tinge-of-exasperation recollections of a tireless reporter with staggeringly accurate news judgment and the uncanny ability to motivate those who worked with him. But what I will most remember, what I will most miss now that he's gone, is the faith he put in all of us, in me, to do the best we could, to be a team.

Four months after he hired me, Peter walked to the English Desk where I was translating copy from French and Spanish into English -- I say "walked," but those of you who knew Peter can easily picture that half-sprinting gait he had in the newsroom -- and earnestly asked me to come into this office. It was quickly clear that I had screwed up. A French reporter had described a prominent democracy advocate as a "militante de la paix" and I had lazily translated that as "peace militant."

"She's not happy. Her people aren't happy," Peter said somberly. "They say that has a military connotation. Militant/military. They say they are going to sue. Do you see the problem here?" I was terrified. He went on: "You cannot translate word-for-word. You need to think of the meaning of the whole sentence. Not just individual words." I just nodded. "Now, here's what I'm going to do: Nothing. I told her people they were being ridiculous and that we would not be issuing a formal correction, and that they were welcome to try their luck in court. But I need you to make sure you watch those kinds of errors."

Peter had gone to bat for me, but he had made sure not to miss the opportunity for a teachable moment.

So it’s more than a decade later, and I'm hooked on the AFP crack: For all its faults, I love the agency. And as for Peter, nothing will be the same without him. I'm not ready to do without his compassion, and his guidance. Or his sense of purpose. Or his faith in me. Or the way he rallied everyone around him.

But thanks to 12 years spent learning from him, from the best, day-in and day-out, of seeing how it’s done…I think with time I'll be ready to try.

-- Olivier Knox