War, Disaster and Trauma in Journalism

Not surprisingly, journalism can have some tough work assignments. When faced with war, disaster and trauma, the journalist should be taking every means necessary to prepare themselves for the task ahead.



BBC Correspondent Orla Guerin under fire in Libya.

Photo: BBC College of Journalism

Journalists and their correspondents must prepare for many things throughout their assignment. In places overseas, especially in war zones, they must plan for the worst. There are a set of principles the journalist and their correspondent can focus on for their own safety.

P1- Commitment
The journalist must be absolutely positive they want to do this assignment. They must plan for the worst, so setting up mental and physical barriers is very important.

P2- Free Will
Journalists may be unaware that they have the option to turn down a job and that they cannot be punished in the workplace for not covering a story. It is also possible to return home at any point during the overseas assignment.

P3- Experience
Experience is vital. There should be a reliable correspondent with the journalist throughout the whole assignment, to help plan and accompany them on the journey. If the journalist is young and inexperienced, they have the option to bring someone who has been overseas before.

P4- Preparation
Ensuring that the appropriate people, equipment, insurance, documents, medical requirements, mental and physical barriers are prepared before the journey and accompanying the journalist throughout.

P5- Equipment
The usual equipment- multiple cameras, phones, microphones, recorders, stationary-are not the only thing that journalists should bring to these visitations.

P6- Insurance
This cannot be refused by your news firm. Insurance is important to cover and costs of the journalist getting sick overseas, as well as compensation for their families if the journalist is killed.

P7- Psychological counseling
Many people also do not know that journalists can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They can get this from any situation, not just related to war but with any disaster or trauma event. They can not be punished over requiring treatment and they will not have to cover 'softer' stories in the future. There can be no refusal to treatment and the insurance of the journey should cover costs. What journalists should be aware of is that they should not be ashamed of their illness, they just need to talk to a someone to help themselves.

P8- Legal protection
It would be best to approach a lawyer before and after going overseas for legal advice and to ensure a level of security and legality after any incidents.

Photographer Remi Ochlik in Cairo
AP Photo/Julien de Rosa
 

Although there are a few international protection campaigns and associations, as well as the fact that murder is a war crime and obviously illegal, the safety of journalists is not guaranteed. The first article, from the news site 'Anarak', is about an award-winning journalist Marie Colvin, who was killed in a house bombardment in Syria. The second link is an article from 'Emergency Journalism', which extensively and exclusively discusses the risk of overseas journalism.

1.
http://www.anorak.co.uk/312982/news/marie-colvin-mattered-good-journalism-shines-a-light-to-let-us-see.html/

2.
http://emergencyjournalism.net/trauma-in-journalism-what-every-freelancer-at-risk-needs-to-know/