In April 1992, I was on holiday in California when the LA riots broke out. Arriving back at Laguna Beach after a roadtrip I was greeted by three, increasingly desperate answer messages from the Daily Telegraph foreign desk. The first wondered whether I was around and could I ring back soon. The second asked could I call back as SOON as I got the message because it was very very urgent. The third screamed that riots were breaking out all over Los Angeles and being the nearest journalist available (the stringer was on holiday) they needed me now.
For all this I had to thank the late Rodney King – the footage of whose beating after a car chase led to a trial in which the police responsible were acquitted. That’s when the…
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