Hodgson began his career in the UK as a journalist with "The Times" and later joined "The Observer" in 1960 as a columnist. In 1962, he was appointed "The Observer"s foreign correspondent in Washington, D.C., a position that he served through 1965. During this time in the United States, Hodgson covered several events including the civil rights movement, protests in the universities, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson.