Jitendra Joshi & Steve Collinson: One last big story

“What are you working on?” Peter would exclaim, bouncing out of his office during this year’s endless White House campaign, as our eyelids grew heavy and inspiration ran dry. Even at 3:00 a.m. on a primary night, into his 20^th hour at work, he would still be crackling with story ideas and suggestions for the angle we should be writing.

The word indefatigable barely describes Peter’s nuclear-fuelled energy and his ardour to beat the competition, whatever the odds. But however exhausting those nights were, there was a special electricity in the air from covering one of the world’s biggest stories under the guidance of this one-man dynamo of motivation, enthusiasm and creativity.

He was the consummate reporter, who would rattle flawless intros off the top of his head, and had a batting average superior to any of his beloved New York Yankees hitters when it came to a snappy angle for a story. He would perch behind your right ear, watching you write a story, barking out suggestions faster than you could type. As your blood started to boil, the realisation that he was unfailingly right was the most infuriating thing of all.

He would revive flagging campaign reporters with only slightly embellished tales of his days on the trail with Ronald Reagan, and was fascinated with the implications of this historic election cycle. Though he gave himself no quarter, he was the first to tell tired staffers to take time off.

The 2008 campaign turned out to be Peter’s last big story. It’s only just sinking in that he won’t be there to lead us through the conventions, or through the presidential debates, or on election night itself in November. The electricity generated by this dramatic turning point in history will still be there. But with the passing of our friend and boss, a vital current will be missing.

-- Jitendra Joshi and Steve Collinson