Kidnapped journalist ‘won’t do anything foolish’
The 33-year-old, named Northern Ireland’s young journalist of the year in 1997, is renowned as a diligent and level-headed reporter and was marked out early in his career as a likely high achiever.
He has worked from Baghdad for the last nine months, leaving his post as the Guardian’s South Africa correspondent after three years based in Johannesburg.
Friend Ken Murray, a political correspondent with Independent News Network (INN) in Dublin, said Carroll is “a very friendly guy, hardworking but a very level and cool guy”.
Mr Murray, a fellow Masters degree in journalism student at Dublin City University between 1994 and 1995, said: “In other words, if he’s in a kidnap situation, he won’t do anything foolish. He’s a bright guy, he’ll keep his cool and he’ll do as he is told.”
Though many of Carroll’s classmates went on to work with national newspapers and television stations in Ireland, Carroll was seen as the star pupil.
He had originally graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, and began his career as a reporter for the Irish News, in Belfast.
The journalist, who has family in Blackrock, in south Dublin, quickly won awards and followed in the footsteps of his foreign correspondent father Joe, who had been based in North America for the Irish Times.
Carroll was posted to Rome as Southern Europe correspondent for the Guardian in 1999, leaving for Africa in 2002.
In January, he wrote about an attempted mugging in Johannesburg, when he was challenged by a knife-wielding youth.
He revealed how he had given chase to his attacker and even picked up the boy’s discarded knife.
The correspondent admitted the experience had made him more cautious, but was also keen to stress the benefits of living in the troubled city.
Once in Iraq, he detailed tensions between US forces and the local population and reported on the continuing wave of violence engulfing Baghdad.
It is not yet clear how he came to be seized and British colleagues in Baghdad have declined to comment for fear they may put him in further peril.
Noel Doran, editor of the Irish News, said Rory quickly established himself as a talented reporter when he arrived at the newspaper.
“It was clear that he was a very talented individual with the ability to go far,” he said.
“He had a lovely touch as a writer, he could bring great colour to a piece and a great sense of humour when it was appropriate.”
Mr Doran said the reporter won his 1997 award for reporting of paramilitary activity in Belfast.
“Rory was also very sociable here, part of a group of young reporters who socialised together and have stayed in touch wherever in the world they have ended up,” said Mr Doran.
“I’m sure they will be following developments as closely as we are.”
