Sydney H. Schanberg Dies at 82; Times Reporter Chronicled Khmer Rouge Terror
Mr. Schanberg won a Pulitzer Prize for covering the fall of the Lon Nol regime to the Khmer Rouge in 1970s Cambodia. His account of a colleague’s survival during the genocide of millions inspired the film “The Killing Fields.”
“Our decision to stay,” Mr. Schanberg wrote later, “was founded on our belief — perhaps, looking back, it was more a devout wish or hope — that when the Khmer Rouge won their victory, they would have what they wanted and would end the terrorism and brutal behavior we had written so often about.”