Conflict: Life at stake
The landscape of war journalism has altered massively over the years. Over 1,000 journalists have been killed in action since 1961 and the numbers are soaring, especially in Syria. Yet war correspondents choose to work in the dangerous environments of war and conflict throughout the world.
Reporting from war or conflict zones has always been dangerous and trying, while language and geographical barriers add to the miseries of the correspondent reporting from the frontline. Before the internet, sending despatches was always a challenge with just the telex at one’s disposal. At times, it’s more challenging than gathering facts and figures amidst booming guns.
Not many are aware that the risk to a war correspondent’s life is no less than that to the frontline soldier; and reporting from the frontline often comes with an understanding with the correspondent’s newspaper or agency that he / she is responsible for his / her own life.
Why war correspondents choose to work from the danger zone
Some vow never to return to the war zone, yet others keep going back because they’re drawn to the big moment. There is a certain thrill in being a frontline reporter and their stories attract a high readership. Their efforts and heroics often earn them awards and accolades.
At the recently held ninth Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), David Grossman from Israel, Christina Lamb and Don Mc Cullin from the UK and the veteran writer and photo-journalist Samantha Subramanian from India spoke about their experiences and challenges as war correspondents.
“Journalists have become targets of war and the danger that they face has magnified many times over,” observed Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times foreign correspondent and author of several bestsellers, the latest being Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan To A More Dangerous World from which she read excerpts, while discussing the ethics of reporting from dangerous war zones.