"No doubt about it, journalists are targets now,"

July 13, 2013 8:34 PM

Shooting The Messengers

So, what guides a journalist's decisions in these unlovely places? The frequently repeated maxim that "no story is worth dying for" rings a little hollow. The awkward truth is that, in this field, personal bravery is simultaneously discouraged and rewarded.

Wes Enzinna: I Went To Syria To Learn How To Be A Journalist, And Failed Miserably At It While Almost Dying A Bunch Of Times
Anas al-Tarsha, Syrian Citizen Journalist
Marie-Lys Lubrano: Egypte: les sales méthodes des Frères musulmans, Entretien avec Marie-Lys Lubrano, deux mois au cœur de la révolution Libyenne, A l'hôpital en Libye : «Je crois que j'ai les nerfs qui lâchent»
Ruth Sherlock
Alex Thomson: Set up to be shot in Syria’s no man’s land?
Mani: Homs: the story behind Mani's extraordinary images from the frontline, Fearless French Photojournalist Reveals the Horror in Homs
James Brabazon: James Brabazon’s “My Friend the Mercenary”, An Interview With James Brabazon, Tim Hetherington in Libya: witness to war – in pictures
Marie Colvin and Rémi Ochlik, previously.
Tim Hetherington, previously, previously.

Sundance Interview: Sebastian Junger & James Brabazon, WHICH WAY IS THE FRONT LINE FROM HERE?

The Committee to Protect Journalists "is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide."

Previously: "I don't know if I should be photographing that or not"

posted by the man of twists and turns (2 comments total)

I wonder how far back the CPJ stats for journalist deaths go -- 1993? Just anecdotally, I am re-reading Dispatches, the penultimate chapter of which is a long catalogue of journalists killed or maimed during the Vietnam War, most notably Sean Flynn and Dana Stone who are believed to have been killed by the Khmer Rouge. Journalists have always been targets.
posted by seemoreglass at 9:28 PM on July 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

I went to J school, still considering working in the field... The current climate simultaneously fascinates and scares the shit out of me. Thanks for the post.
posted by mafted jacksie at 2:53 PM on July 14, 2013