By: Joe Strupp It's been several weeks since Iran's national elections were completed, and actor Sean Penn's coverage of the events for the San Francisco Chronicle is now edging toward completion.
Editor Phil Bronstein, who authorized Penn to travel to Iran as a Chronicle correspondent last month, says the paper is still editing a piece Penn wrote about his trip, which he described as "quite long....He's done a number of drafts, the most recent we got today or yesterday....
"It may change substantially," the editor noted. "Like all things that require editing." He said it would likely not run this weekend, but offered no date for publication. The elections occurred on June 17, with run-offs held on June 24.
"It is a piece about his trip to Iran, the elections, his visit and musings about other things," Bronstein said, declining to elaborate. "He's been doing different versions and going back and forth" with editors. "I think he handed in the first one a couple of weeks ago," Bronstein added.
When asked if he believed he story was taking longer than expected, Bronstein said "It is going the way we anticipated it would. He's clearly got other things going on in his life."
Penn wrote a lengthy two-part series in January 2004 about a similar trip to Iraq. Recently, the actor, who is a friend of Bronstein's, showed interest in an Iran article, the editor said. The Chronicle provided Penn with a letter for both trips authorizing him to act on behalf of the paper, but did not cover the costs of the trips.
"The Iraq story has done well and I anticipate this will do well," Bronstein said.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here