JOURNALISTS' SECURITY IN WAR ZONES LESSONS FROM SYRIA

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Journalists’ Security in War Zones: Lessons from Syriafrustration highlights the need for standardisationof terms with a view to making the workingenvironment easier and more predictable forjournalists across the board.The discussion then focused on estimating costs ofreporting from conflict zones like Syria. One staffjournalist revealed what appears to be the highlyvariable costs of reporting from a conflict zoneas between $100-200 a day for a fixer/translator,$100 for a driver, and $50 for accommodation.Freelancers, meanwhile, tended to pay fixersand drivers much less, and rely on local peopleto give them a bed or floor space for the night.Arab culture is famously generous and hospitalityis highly valued. Hence, any insistence to payfor bed and board can be insulting to one’s host(which is another reason why understanding localsensibilities is so important).But, what is highly undesirable are reports ofjournalists underpaying their support team, suchas the example cited of a fixer who complainedabout an Italian freelancer paying him just €40for a day’s work on the frontlines. Then again,journalists like Francesca Borri reported earningjust €30 more than that for a piece filed from Syriafor Italian news outlets, which explains – but doesnot excuse – underpaying fixers; this behaviourmay also contribute to tarnishing the name ofjournalists.This session continued with the consensus thatsalaries must be improved and after articulatingmany of the challenges with implementing this,participants agreed that what was required wasa collective effort from journalists – possiblythrough journalists’ unions – to standardise payrates or at least make them more transparent.Several participants, however, expressed doubtsabout the feasibility of such a process. Someinitiatives have been made in this regard already.The National Union of Journalists in the UK,for instance, has a Freelance Fee Guide (14)which provides freelancers with an idea of the salarythey should expect to receive for various types offreelance content for different media outlets. Therehave been some attempts to increase transparencyacross the board with initiatives like “Who PaysWriters” and “Who Pays Photographers” (15) ,websites that compare different pay ratesinternationally, but none have been successful.Participants identified this as a potential area inwhich organisations defending journalists’ rightscould help by plugging this information gap andcreating a table with different pay rates amongmedia outlets at an international level.Insurance“Insurance is notoriously expensive. It is probablyfair to say that many freelancers are not currentlytraipsing around the hot spots of the world withoutinsurance, because they want to or because they areignorant to the need for insurance – most simplycannot afford it”.The above statement, written by freelancers ArisRoussinos, Ayman Oghanna and Emma Bealsin a paper produced by the Frontline Club (16) ,perhaps best reflects the sentiment amongfreelancers at the conference. In general, as itstands now employers will pay insurance for staffmembers but not freelancers. Freelancers andmany staffers felt that this should change and thatemployers ought to cover insurance, or at leastcontribute significantly towards it.It was also felt that journalists could “get smarterabout insurance.” Many simply do not pay for it,and some of the ones who do neglect to read thefine print. One particularly egregious example14. See http://www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide/index.php?language=en&country=UK&section=Welcome1815. See http://whopays.tumblr.com/ and http://whopaysphotogs.tumblr.com/16. ‘Newsgathering Safety and the Welfare of Freelancers,’ a white paper by the Frontline Club, 6 June 2013. Available athttp://www.frontlineclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Safety-Report_WEB.pdf
Dealing with Employersof an insurance company not covering funeralcosts was highlighted during the conference as awarning to others. Olivier Voisin was a Frenchphotographer who reported from Syria beforegetting hit by a shrapnel and brought into Turkey,where he later died from his injuries. Voisin’sfamily had to pay for the funeral expenses.The provisions of insurance packages vary greatly,however, depending on the nature of the insuranceand the conflict. According to a June report by theFrontline Club, “A freelancer recently back fromSyria revealed that her basic insurance package fora two-week trip came to ₤280. Others, however,not satisfied with a basic package, can spend upto ₤1,000 for the same duration and location.Freelancers, who make multiple trips a year, caneasily spend thousands of pounds in insurance.”By comparison, it can be anywhere from $500 aweek in Afghanistan to $600 a month in Libya,according to 2011 figures. The consensus amongjournalists is that Reporters without Bordersoffers the most cost-effective packages, with an‘essential plan’ costing €2.71 a day for assistancecoverage in medical emergencies, with an extrapremium of €11 charged for high-risk countries. (17)Since RWB has offered this insurance coverage,over 400 people have purchased it. However,alternatives do exist, and the provision to bothjournalists and employers of lists and prices ofcomparative insurance policies was seen by manyas a very useful contribution that could be madeby press freedom organisations (18) .Challenges for freelancersThe issues of employers merely buying finishedcopy, not giving freelancers an advance, andabrogating responsibility if they get intotrouble while in the field were also major gripesarticulated. This is a significant concern, as itleaves the journalist without a safety net and withno burden shouldered by the employer if thingsdo not go as planned. Sometimes, freelancersfeel that they should produce content first andpitch the story to news outlets later, but this is notnecessarily advisable. As one of the journalists atthe conference, who also commissions work fromfreelancers for the news outlet she works for, putit: “I worry if [journalists pitching a story] don’task what the rates are and negotiate terms ofemployment before going into the field. It callstheir professionalism into question.”The session concluded with input from therepresentatives of the different press freedomorganisations attending the conference, brieflyoutlining some of the ways their organisationscan be of assistance to journalists, particularlyfreelance journalists.The Committee to Protect Journalists can offergood advice on the do’s and don’ts of warreporting. CPJ maintains a small distress fundthrough which it dispenses emergency grants tojournalists. CPJ steps in when journalists are indire situations as a result of persecution for theirwork, helps them get medical care and evacuatesjournalists at risk to temporary havens. The RoryPeck Trust, meanwhile, provides direct financialassistance to freelancers and their families in crisisaround the world. RPT also provides bursariesfor freelancers to undertake hostile environmenttraining through approved providers, and supportsfreelancers with practical advice, information andresources on insurance, safety and welfare issues.Although, as the representative stated clearly, the“supply of funds for security training programsreally does not meet the demand.” Reporterswithout Borders, for its part, dispenses servicessimilar to CPJ’s and loans protective equipmentto journalists, provides discounted insurancerates and a free emergency hotline as well aspsychological support. It has also co-produced,17. See http://en.rsf.org/insurance-for-freelance-17-04-2007,21746.html18. On 17 June 2013, the International News Safety Institute published a document comparing the various insurance packages madeavailable for journalists worldwide. The document is available here:http://www.newssafety.org/images/F<strong>IN</strong>AL%20Insurance%20document%20for%20articleF<strong>IN</strong>AL-HS.pdf19
Page 2 and 3: Cover photo credit:Narciso Contrera
Page 4 and 5: Journalists’ Security in War Zone
Page 10: Journalists’ Security in War Zone
Page 16: Journalists’ Security in War Zone
Page 21 and 22: Dealing with GovernmentsGovernments
Page 23: Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress

JOURNALISTS' SECURITY IN WAR ZONES LESSONS FROM SYRIA

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