PressEthic

I think every one who follows news these days knows that international reporters encounter a big problem in covering the dangerous areas like Iraq. We see names of local journalists contributed to reporting an article in mostly every New York Times story about Iraq.

You see a big newspaper like the New York Times depends on local journalists to fill in the holes in their international news coverage. These local journalists are actually not journalists according to the western standards of journalism. They are only people who want to make a living by using their network of contacts among their tribes and relatives. They do not know what a lead is? What is the Inverted Pyramid or what is direct or in direct quote or what are media ethics? But they are still used by different international news organizations. This is not the big deal because these local people are willing to work and they may get some experience through their jobs with international correspondents.

The bigger problem is what will international correspondents plan to do if they will not have local stringers or reporters to help them cover news anymore?

If they could solve the risky and insecure reporting by employing local journalists, what will these front line foreign journalists do if their local assistants were targeted and killed?

Do the international reporters know that killing a local journalist like Haidar will make the other local journalists quite or at least make them not pay attention to accuracy like before because they do not want to risk their lives by going to dangerous areas or by reporting on sensitive issues? This is from one hand.

From the other, what can International agencies like International Federation of Journalists IFJ do about killing journalists –local and international- in an indiscriminate and deliberate way? What is the role or stand of media organizations for stopping this humanitarian crisis?

We have the Iraqi New York Times Reporter Fakher Haidar, who was killed two days ago and his body was found on the outskirts of his city. We have many other foreign and international jouranalists who were treated like enemies and got abducted and slain.

My point is either there should be a stand for stopping this brutality practised against journalists or international reporters should always be at risk in covering dangerous areas. Otherwise, news does not deserve risking lives and I think that is the only way you can stop killing journalists in the absence of a strong international media stand.