Friday, 22 January 2010
How have the media covered the Haitian earthquake
The plight of Haiti has been brought to the world through television sets, radio, newspaper pictures and the internet. No sooner had the earthquake shattered Port Au Prince and Sky News had a man on from Port Au Prince via skype.
Over the last ten days the story has saturated the news networks. All the big names have been reporting off the runway of the damaged airport; Jon Snow, George Alagiah and Robert Moore have all brought the harrowing stories to the people of the UK.
The different styles have been apparent. The BBC have been making great factual packages, and people like Matt Frei and Orla Guerin are on the ground telling harrowing stories. Guerin's package last night on the port and its damage was an informative piece.
Channel 4's coverage was harrowing in the extreme. Pictures of trucks dumping dead bodies in mass graves were shocking, but we were well warned that the pictures were as such. It is one of the striking images of the horrible natural disaster.
The story now is aid. Why is it not getting in enough, what is happening when it gets there, and how will the survivors live. The camera's and reporters will leave, the world of news will move on but for the three million or so people who have been affected the story will always be there.
Over the last ten days the story has saturated the news networks. All the big names have been reporting off the runway of the damaged airport; Jon Snow, George Alagiah and Robert Moore have all brought the harrowing stories to the people of the UK.
The different styles have been apparent. The BBC have been making great factual packages, and people like Matt Frei and Orla Guerin are on the ground telling harrowing stories. Guerin's package last night on the port and its damage was an informative piece.
Channel 4's coverage was harrowing in the extreme. Pictures of trucks dumping dead bodies in mass graves were shocking, but we were well warned that the pictures were as such. It is one of the striking images of the horrible natural disaster.
The story now is aid. Why is it not getting in enough, what is happening when it gets there, and how will the survivors live. The camera's and reporters will leave, the world of news will move on but for the three million or so people who have been affected the story will always be there.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
The danger of reporting war is brought home with death of UK journalist
“Tragically, it was a matter of time.”
A succinct analogy of the death of Rupert Hamer, and one that will ring true with journalists across the UK, and across the world. The news that Sunday Mirror Defence Editor had been killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province was, while a tragedy, also something that was inevitably going to happen.
War reporting remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Many journalists have lost their lives in the pursuit of a story from a war torn corner of the earth. This was, however, the first British casualty since Terry Lloyd in 2003.
War reporting is one of the under appreciated forms of journalism and in 21st century Britain has been one of the most important. With the UK involved in two wars, the public crave news from the front line. They rarely take a second to think how dangerous the profession is. Journalists more often than not will be embedded with the Armed forces, as Hamer was when he was blown up in Afghanistan.
For the journalist there is the age old debate of 'safety v getting the real story.' There is no doubt that being embedded with the army takes away the power of impartiality. When you depend on these men for your safety you will tend to side with the guys that are watching over you. However, being with the army doesn't guarantee safety, as we have so tragically seen in the past week.
War reporting and its risks are highlighted in John Owen and Heather Purdey's “International News Reporting – Frontlines and Deadlines.” Purdey and Owen, lecturers at City University in London have gathered people from all walks of international journalism to contribute their own experiences and insights.
Chris Cramer's chapter is an interesting read. In it, he talks of the need for war reporters to get the help they need when they come home, and the cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that can be caused by the reporting. He describes how CNN staff who are deployed to active war regions have to go through a five day 'hostile regions' course, run by UK company AKE Limited.
The book itself is a fascinating read and a must for all budding journalists. It is brutal in its honesty, and portrays the difficulties and indeed severe conditions that war reporters face when they try to bring the news from the front line. Rupert Hamer was not the first and certainly will not be the last journalist to be killed in action. His death does bring the plight of the war reporter to a higher stage however. The next time we watch the television or open the page of a newspaper we should all remember the effort taken to get the story.
A succinct analogy of the death of Rupert Hamer, and one that will ring true with journalists across the UK, and across the world. The news that Sunday Mirror Defence Editor had been killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province was, while a tragedy, also something that was inevitably going to happen.
War reporting remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Many journalists have lost their lives in the pursuit of a story from a war torn corner of the earth. This was, however, the first British casualty since Terry Lloyd in 2003.
War reporting is one of the under appreciated forms of journalism and in 21st century Britain has been one of the most important. With the UK involved in two wars, the public crave news from the front line. They rarely take a second to think how dangerous the profession is. Journalists more often than not will be embedded with the Armed forces, as Hamer was when he was blown up in Afghanistan.
For the journalist there is the age old debate of 'safety v getting the real story.' There is no doubt that being embedded with the army takes away the power of impartiality. When you depend on these men for your safety you will tend to side with the guys that are watching over you. However, being with the army doesn't guarantee safety, as we have so tragically seen in the past week.
War reporting and its risks are highlighted in John Owen and Heather Purdey's “International News Reporting – Frontlines and Deadlines.” Purdey and Owen, lecturers at City University in London have gathered people from all walks of international journalism to contribute their own experiences and insights.
Chris Cramer's chapter is an interesting read. In it, he talks of the need for war reporters to get the help they need when they come home, and the cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that can be caused by the reporting. He describes how CNN staff who are deployed to active war regions have to go through a five day 'hostile regions' course, run by UK company AKE Limited.
The book itself is a fascinating read and a must for all budding journalists. It is brutal in its honesty, and portrays the difficulties and indeed severe conditions that war reporters face when they try to bring the news from the front line. Rupert Hamer was not the first and certainly will not be the last journalist to be killed in action. His death does bring the plight of the war reporter to a higher stage however. The next time we watch the television or open the page of a newspaper we should all remember the effort taken to get the story.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
With Al Qa'ida seemingly spreading, where will the next front on terror be?
It started off in Afghanistan, then moved to Iraq and in the last year it has focused on Northern Pakistan – and now the terror threat of Al Qa'ida is moving to Yemen.
As has been reported, the country is fertile breeding ground for terrorism. A massively destabilised government, tribal infighting and vast swaths of desert mean that terrorist training facilities, guns and ammunition are all easy to come by.
Its position in the Middle East is also a cause for concern. It borders Saudi Arabia, and Al Qa'ida have long wanted to attack the Saudi Royal family. Its seas are also facing towards Somalia, and many ships that travel through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea travel past Yemeni waters. Of course, Yemen was brought to the attention of Obama and co. long before the failed Christmas day attack, but in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole on the Gulf of Aden.
So are we seeing the spread of Al Qa'ida across the Arabian peninsula and if so, where could be next on the Global terrorism front?
Well, one look across the Red Sea and you find Somalia, as lawless a state as you likely to find in the world at the moment. It has been hitting the headlines with its pirate activities, but it is ripe for terrorist activity.
Other areas of Africa such as Sudan and Nigeria may also fall under the same threat, with political instability and strong Muslim extremism in each country.
Of course, the more traditional areas such as Pakistan and Afghanistan will not be left alone by the Americans and the British, which means the fight to end world terror may become very stretched all of a sudden.
As has been reported, the country is fertile breeding ground for terrorism. A massively destabilised government, tribal infighting and vast swaths of desert mean that terrorist training facilities, guns and ammunition are all easy to come by.
Its position in the Middle East is also a cause for concern. It borders Saudi Arabia, and Al Qa'ida have long wanted to attack the Saudi Royal family. Its seas are also facing towards Somalia, and many ships that travel through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea travel past Yemeni waters. Of course, Yemen was brought to the attention of Obama and co. long before the failed Christmas day attack, but in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole on the Gulf of Aden.
So are we seeing the spread of Al Qa'ida across the Arabian peninsula and if so, where could be next on the Global terrorism front?
Well, one look across the Red Sea and you find Somalia, as lawless a state as you likely to find in the world at the moment. It has been hitting the headlines with its pirate activities, but it is ripe for terrorist activity.
Other areas of Africa such as Sudan and Nigeria may also fall under the same threat, with political instability and strong Muslim extremism in each country.
Of course, the more traditional areas such as Pakistan and Afghanistan will not be left alone by the Americans and the British, which means the fight to end world terror may become very stretched all of a sudden.
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