Around the World with News 8: San Diego reporters visit Soviet Union with Mayor O'Connor in 1988

News 8 reporter Liz Pursell was part of a group that traveled with then San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor to four Soviet cities in 1988. O’Connor was there to scout artists and performers for a planned Soviet Arts Festival at home. Liz, her photojournalist Dana Levin and sound technician Todd Ward (who is still a photojournalist with News 8 as of 2020!) went along for some of the mayor’s outings but also got to explore on their own. Liz called the trip a highlight of her career and shares more of her memories below. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news//50... “Traveling to the former Soviet Union in 1988 was one of the highlights of my career and a learning experience that gave me a unique perspective on life and politics in that part of the world, then and now. As a Channel 8 reporter, I was part of an entourage that accompanied Mayor Maureen O’Connor to four Soviet cities—Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, and Tbilisi, Georgia. The Mayor was on a mission to scout out artists, performers and cultural treasures to bring back to San Diego for a planned Soviet Arts Festival. Media and key players in the local arts community went along for the ride. And what an adventure it was! My hardworking and talented crew included photographer Dana Levin and sound technician Todd Ward (also a photographer). The three of us worked together around the clock, and by the end of the trip we weren’t just coworkers, we were family. While our crew sometimes traveled with the mayor, often we struck out on our own. We didn’t have the luxury of traveling with a full-time translator, so I learned Russian, enough to read a few signs and ask directions. It was surprising how many people spoke at least a bit of English when we attempted to communicate in their language. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union was experiencing great political and cultural change. President Mikhail Gorbachev’s ‘perestroika,’ triggered a chain of events that ushered in a more open government and a less restrictive society. We witnessed a pivotal time in Russian history. Three decades later, Leningrad is now St. Petersburg and Kiev and Tbilisi are no longer governed by Russia. The dreary, spartan Moscow we visited, is the most expensive city in the world. How times have changed.” Liz Pursell