High Risk Journalism.

Freelance reporting is dangerous .

The militant group Islamic State has  releasing  videos which appear to show the beheading of a U.S. journalists  in as many weeks. Steven Sotloff is seen wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn by foreign prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.  The be headings of Journalists are horrific , but it DEMONSTRATES THAT ***JOURNALISM CAN BE  A HIGH RISK JOB.  While I my self have criticized our American President about his "weak kneed " and no "strategy" approach which I've posted in this blog . My next level of criticism which with all apology is aimed at the journalists themselves. The sad truth is, in the long term, Foley's death was in vain. The majority of people don't want to be told, or read, anything contrary to what they already know. Every war reporter is doing a thankless job, and the majority of readers will not notice or care about their reports unless they uncover a war crime or die. Going to a war zone first of all dangerous.  I know it's not the fault of reporters like James Foley or Tom Peter, but the organizations who publish their work have betrayed and misled their readers time and again. They were utterly complicit in the deceptions used to build public support for the invasion of Iraq, and despite apologizing for that episode, absolutely nothing has changed.   In Syria, Iraq and Libya, widespread violence, the threat of kidnapping and the collapse of the rule of law make human rights work difficult and sometimes lethal for local activists. In June, gunmen in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi murdered the Libyan rights activist Salwa Bughaighis, who had been a fierce critic of Libya’s Islamist militias. In July, the (1). Syrian government announced an amnesty for prisoners, but scores of rights activists and peaceful political opponents of the government remained in prison in atrocious conditions. Even the grotesque recent murders by IS are not unprecedented. In 2002, a British citizen affiliated with Al-Qaeda beheaded the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, Daniel Pearl, after he was abducted in Pakistan. Like IS’s recent killings, the murder was videotaped. The role of freelancers, who make a living by selling individual stories, photos and video to multiple outlets, has expanded across conflict zones in recent years with the spread of technology and social media, which provides a ready canvas for their work. Some are cautious and well-trained; Others take major risks. And they often lack the institutional support staff journalists receive if they get into trouble in a conflict zone. This climate is making many journalists think twice about reporting from the conflict. With most major news agencies pulling their staff journalists out of Syria, the burden is increasingly falling on freelance and citizen journalists, though it may now be too dangerous for freelancers to work in the country. Freelancers are often more vulnerable to the surrounding violence in conflict-stricken areas, and have limited access to resources such as protective clothing or training on how to report safely within a war zone. It shakes us. It angers us. And then we consider that unfriendly fire in Afghanistan has killed more reporters than American soldiers. We should be angered when a journalist is killed , but we should also hold accountable the journalists who took the risks ,  Sadly, the death of a journalist isn’t unusual. Last year, at least three dozen reporters were killed for doing their jobs. They asked questions, looked at records, and reported what they found. They didn’t put on a uniform or carry a weapon, but they, too, were fighting for freedom.

FOR A FULL REPORT ON STATISTICS on Journalists  killed see this web site :
http://cpj.org/killed/2014/

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

*** Steven J. Sotloff, a 31-year-old freelance journalist, self-described “stand-up philosopher from Miami,” immersed himself in the tumult of the Middle East for years, repeatedly venturing into some of the most hazardous conflict zones. He reassured friends that he knew the risks as he wrote for publications that included Time magazine, The Christian Science Monitor and World Affairs Journal. (1). FOR EXAMPLE- we need to help the ''rebels'' 'liberate Syria' and they're the good guys and Assad is terrible and blah blah blah. The FAKE rebels in Syria are the same people in ISIS that killed these men, it has been well known from EARLY on that the people starting the 'civil war' were NOT EVEN SYRIAN and that a huge number of militants from a group in IRAQ were a huge part of the foundation impetus of this 'war'. IF WE HAD HELPED ASSAD EARLY ON 10's of thousands of Christians would not have been systematically searched out and murdered. The mayor of one town in Syria said well over a year ago that he had not seen a single Syrian in the 'militia' who 'freed' his town and had murdered every Christian in the village. They were from Qatar, Pakistan, Bahrain and even the Caucuses, right? Effing Chechnyans, hard core seasoned mujahadeen who really love killing. In addition, Sharia Al Nursra the same group responsible for the american embassy attack in Libya were there from the beginning. The entire lie is that this was a civil war, when in fact it is a terrorist occupation that seeks to systematically destroy all non-Sunnis - and perpetuating the lie and cover up of heinous massacres at the hands of the rebels is what OUR reporters are being killed in their effort to report.