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 The published figures from the International News Safety Institute are a terrifying reminder that the media profession, its professionals and those who choose to work with them are in dreadful danger at the moment--and the situation is getting worse by the day.
The work of the journalist has always been dangerous - it has long been the price for doing business - but the attrition rate in many parts of the globe is now beyond shocking and has been all-consuming for those media managers whose job it is to assign their staff to war zones or dangerous locations. Many major news organizations place safety ahead of any other consideration and set aside a large proportion of their annual budgets attempting to keep their staff out of harms way. This money is spent on safety training - for many organizations it has become mandatory before staff are deployed - and also for safety equipment, vehicles, and security staff. There are few media groups operating inside Iraq, for example, without large numbers of security personnel dedicated to protecting the journalist and those who work with them. The industry leaders in this area tend to be the BBC and CNN and some of the large US, British and Australian broadcast networks. But newspapers too, like the New York Times and others, have dug deep into their budgets for the most advanced security and training that money can buy. So too have Reuters and the AP. They also invest in care for staff before, during and after an assignment. There have been many recorded cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among media workers on assignment around the world. The stigma, which tended to surround this illness in previous years, has dissolved as a new generation of journalist has recognized that they too -- like soldiers, aircrew and emergency workers - are not immune from what they witness. For many years, freelance media, and particularly indigenous media, have not had the luxury of safety training, appropriate equipment and aftercare. But largely through the work of INSI and freelance organizations like Britain's Rory Peck Trust, they too are being given practical support and advice. However, there is a huge task ahead before all media -- broadcast or print - are educated to the inherent risks in the jobs they do. The days of reporters and photographers and camera crews setting off on assignment on a wing and a prayer are behind us. It is a dangerous world we cover - and the profession needs to work harder to make sure their colleagues are returned home safely.
The author, Chris Cramer, is the former MD of CNN International and is the current President of the the International News Safety Institute (INSI).
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