mtravelkay wrote:

You would have to think that some time in that 10 year period he would
have learned that he was technically supposed to have a visa. It's like
speeding. I know speeding is illegal, but I know there is a small chance
that I will get caught each time I do it.

Sometimes countries don't enforce their visa rules too tightly. Take
Mexico as an example. They have two separate forms that you can fill
in. One is for tourists, and the other for business travelers. The
airlines often don't have the business form, so I will fill in the
tourist one. I've never had a problem, even after U tell them I'm
entering for business purposes.

You get into the habit of assuming there won't be a problem, but I
suppose that one day they might get into a snit and refuse me entry. I
doubt it.

The same might be the case for the journalist, who was OK for ten years
before some bureaucrat decided to enforce the rule without any warning.