He was correspondent for the Times in Ethiopia during the famine of 1984–85 for which he was commended as International Reporter of the Year in the British Press Awards. He is the editor of The New Politics: Catholic Social Teaching for the 21st Century and has advised the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was created a CMG “for services to journalism and to the developing world” in 2006 and is currently associate editor of the Independent newspaper.