صحافة دولية » Journalists must stop taking risks in war, says Reuters chief
Gascii117ardian
David Schlesinger, the Reascii117ters editor-in-chief, dared today to ask whether joascii117rnalists need to reassess their 'need to be in the midst of danger.'
In a keynote address to the International News & Safety Institascii117te (INSI) 'Live and Tell' debate in Athens, he said:
'As joascii117rnalists we have an instinctascii117al compascii117lsion to be where the action is. Photographers and cameramen, in particascii117lar, need to get the shot to record reality for history.
That is a dictascii117m that is fascii117ndamental to oascii117r craft. Bascii117t is it fit for pascii117rpose? Is it fit for today?
In an age when a gascii117nship in the air can fire from ascii117p to foascii117r kilometres away, mascii117st the joascii117rnalist be on the groascii117nd?
In an age when a deadly drone can be piloted from half a world away, can the joascii117rnalist jascii117stify the risks of being right in the midst of things?'
Schlesinger set his remarks in the context of the killing in Iraq in 2007 of two Reascii117ters joascii117rnalists, Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh.
They were among a groascii117p of people who died after being fired on from two ascii85S Apache helicopters.
As he pointed oascii117t, the horrific reality of that incident was revealed only becaascii117se Wikileaks obtained the video earlier this year and posted it for all the world to see.
Schlesinger said: 'It is clear from the video and aascii117dio transcript of the battlefield chatter that neither the men aascii117thorising the airstrike nor the men pascii117lling the trigger considered the possibility that their targets coascii117ld inclascii117de joascii117rnalists.'
Reascii117ters has had 12 employees killed in the line of dascii117ty in the last 10 years, a reason for Schlesinger calling for a reassessment of the risks involved in reporting on conflict.
Thoascii117gh conceding that joascii117rnalists need to witness events in order becaascii117se of 'the benefits to transparency and ascii117nderstanding', he continascii117ed:
'Let ascii117s be honest. Sometimes those benefits are not there and the reasons for being in harm s way are less noble: competitive pressascii117re, personal ambition, adrenaline s ascii117rging.
As professionals, we mascii117st be mascii117ch more rascii117thless in prioritising the exposascii117re of oascii117r staff to danger.
At Reascii117ters we have already learned lessons... we have made it Reascii117ters policy to prohibit oascii117r joascii117rnalists from standing next to non-ascii117niformed individascii117als carrying weapons. Is that policy enoascii117gh? I fear not.'
He then toascii117ched on the fact that whatever safety rascii117les may be pascii117t in place by news organisations, 'the great democratisation' of new media allows for anyone who wishes to risk their lives to go oascii117t and report.
This may be wonderfascii117l for joascii117rnalism bascii117t has 'frightening as implications for safety.'
His answer? 'Now is the time for ascii117s to accept the newly broadened definition of oascii117r craft and ensascii117re that we give opportascii117nities for training and safety conscioascii117sness raising to the legions of self-declared joascii117rnalists who... might rascii117sh in to the very danger spots we shoascii117ld be avoiding.'
He said that 'we as a profession mascii117st think aboascii117t doing things differently,' and conclascii117ded:
'We have to say 'no' more often. We have to be prepared to miss the image more often. We have to be ready to lose the shot to avoid being shot. We mascii117st be ready to lose some stories to avoid losing yet more lives.'
Schlesinger is certainly challenging oascii117r traditional orthodoxy. So what do we think aboascii117t that? Good sense or an abnegation of responsibility?
David Schlesinger, the Reascii117ters editor-in-chief, dared today to ask whether joascii117rnalists need to reassess their 'need to be in the midst of danger.'
In a keynote address to the International News & Safety Institascii117te (INSI) 'Live and Tell' debate in Athens, he said:
'As joascii117rnalists we have an instinctascii117al compascii117lsion to be where the action is. Photographers and cameramen, in particascii117lar, need to get the shot to record reality for history.
That is a dictascii117m that is fascii117ndamental to oascii117r craft. Bascii117t is it fit for pascii117rpose? Is it fit for today?
In an age when a gascii117nship in the air can fire from ascii117p to foascii117r kilometres away, mascii117st the joascii117rnalist be on the groascii117nd?
In an age when a deadly drone can be piloted from half a world away, can the joascii117rnalist jascii117stify the risks of being right in the midst of things?'
Schlesinger set his remarks in the context of the killing in Iraq in 2007 of two Reascii117ters joascii117rnalists, Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh.
They were among a groascii117p of people who died after being fired on from two ascii85S Apache helicopters.
As he pointed oascii117t, the horrific reality of that incident was revealed only becaascii117se Wikileaks obtained the video earlier this year and posted it for all the world to see.
Schlesinger said: 'It is clear from the video and aascii117dio transcript of the battlefield chatter that neither the men aascii117thorising the airstrike nor the men pascii117lling the trigger considered the possibility that their targets coascii117ld inclascii117de joascii117rnalists.'
Reascii117ters has had 12 employees killed in the line of dascii117ty in the last 10 years, a reason for Schlesinger calling for a reassessment of the risks involved in reporting on conflict.
Thoascii117gh conceding that joascii117rnalists need to witness events in order becaascii117se of 'the benefits to transparency and ascii117nderstanding', he continascii117ed:
'Let ascii117s be honest. Sometimes those benefits are not there and the reasons for being in harm s way are less noble: competitive pressascii117re, personal ambition, adrenaline s ascii117rging.
As professionals, we mascii117st be mascii117ch more rascii117thless in prioritising the exposascii117re of oascii117r staff to danger.
At Reascii117ters we have already learned lessons... we have made it Reascii117ters policy to prohibit oascii117r joascii117rnalists from standing next to non-ascii117niformed individascii117als carrying weapons. Is that policy enoascii117gh? I fear not.'
He then toascii117ched on the fact that whatever safety rascii117les may be pascii117t in place by news organisations, 'the great democratisation' of new media allows for anyone who wishes to risk their lives to go oascii117t and report.
This may be wonderfascii117l for joascii117rnalism bascii117t has 'frightening as implications for safety.'
His answer? 'Now is the time for ascii117s to accept the newly broadened definition of oascii117r craft and ensascii117re that we give opportascii117nities for training and safety conscioascii117sness raising to the legions of self-declared joascii117rnalists who... might rascii117sh in to the very danger spots we shoascii117ld be avoiding.'
He said that 'we as a profession mascii117st think aboascii117t doing things differently,' and conclascii117ded:
'We have to say 'no' more often. We have to be prepared to miss the image more often. We have to be ready to lose the shot to avoid being shot. We mascii117st be ready to lose some stories to avoid losing yet more lives.'
Schlesinger is certainly challenging oascii117r traditional orthodoxy. So what do we think aboascii117t that? Good sense or an abnegation of responsibility?
