ABSTRACT
Chapter 11: Journalism under threat? The chapter opens with discussion of Time magazine’s ‘Persons of the Year’ in 2018. Under the headline ‘The guardians and the war on truth’, the magazine issued four versions of their cover each telling the story of a particular guardian or group. The cover stories highlight two disturbing trends of recent years – the continuous berating of the media and the increasing incidence and ferocity of attacks—often physical—on journalists in what are considered ‘safe countries’. The price of seeking the truth and holding the powerful to account—whether in a battle zone or ‘at home’—has been far too high in recent decades and this chapter chronicles some of the personal stories of those involved. It highlights how covering conflicts the world over is a difficult and dangerous job, but a vital one to keep the public informed. It looks briefly at the war correspondent in recent times and the dangers associated with the job—including being kidnapped, the physical dangers, and the potential for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The chapter also highlights the 2019 Australian court case in which a Melbourne newspaper was held responsible for psychological injury suffered over a decade covering crime stories and court cases involving horrific crimes. The case study at the close of the chapter asks: Who’d be a journalist in a conflict zone? It looks at five very different cases of journalists being kidnapped.
