A Survival Guide for Journalists: Live News

by IFJ, Peter McIntyre

141 pages, Unknown Binding

Published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A live journalist is infinitely more effective than a dead one.

1. Locals are in more danger, not only because they do not leave the scene, but also because they usually get less training, etc. (p2)

2. Good reference to a wide range conflicts (p1), including a thorough report on reporters in Palestine (p35-43). But near the middle, it references people like Robert Fisk (p60), who portrays Arabs (Palestinians) and Muslims (Kashmiris) as severely extremist and violent. It's disgusting.

3. Police having the right to seize material or reveal sources or confidential information can put journalists at risk of seeming like quasi-forces of the state. (p4)

4. Those who suffered losses became the institutions that prioritized safety training. (p5)

All journalists have a physical stake in high standards and objective reporting.

5. Journalists are in more danger in riots and traffic accidents than battlefield risks. (p9)

6. Preparing (p10-20, p24)
* Stay fit.
* Know the zone (political situation, background, language, racism, cultural fineties, permissions, weapons used).
* Know your rights (GC. Art. 3: ill-treatment of journalists - not taking part in hostilities - is a war crime; P1. Art. 79; P2 Art. 4) and local and organizational laws, and prepare emergency numbers. [Geneva refers to accredited war correspondents as journalists]
* Know your obligations (shooting forces without approval makes it likely to be stopped and have equipment confiscated, be detained, or worse; you have to follow military regulations if traveling with them).
* Don't travel alone, even if the only companion is a rival.
* Communicate with one contact regularly, so they can take action if you are in danger. Agree on procedures (joining a guerrilla force, evacuation, crossing borders, etc.), but do not let the newsroom push you into foolish risks. Get insurance.
* Take what you need: press card (may help or hinder), letters/passes (may help or hinder), medicine/vaccines, barter gifts, armored vehicle (marked or unmarked with removable PRESS, and knowledgable team driver), satellite phone, waterproof matches, dummy wallet, water (2-6L/d), food (2k cal/d), first aid kit(s), long lenses, light-weight cameras, whistle, medic-alert bracelet, soap, flannel, wipes, toilet paper, sanitary towel, toothbrush, proper (loose) clothing (several layers, no flak jacket, contrasting colors, dark colors) and shoes (enough to wear two pairs of socks, white flag, hat, combat vest (removeable plates) and helmet (and protection for arms for cameramen).
* Avoid military style clothing, flash photography, shiny leather, belts, watches, lighting a cigarettes. Muddy what's shiny.
* Do not disguise confidential contacts in code.
* Wear your seatbelt. Use 4-door cars. Keep convoys tight.
* Carry dud exposed film, tape, or disc if you fear it will be seized. Hide what you shoot as soon as you shoot it.
* Set phone's rapid dial to an emergency number

7. Protect yourself
* Car doors do not protect against firearms. Armored vehicles are good cover. Keep endine between you and the point of fire, and avoid the petrol tank. Earth is excellent at absorbing bullets. Brick walls have little use against modern weapons.
* A hole in the ground gives cover from view and fire. If you need to look, try to do so as near to ground level.
* After taking cover, immediately assess position and plan withdrawal (behind vegetation or buildings that block view). Run and keep low. Move at intervals. Leave equipment if in a pinch.
* If in danger, remove glass and clutter that could fly and cause harm. Soak mattresses and put them against walls and doors to impede bullets and shrapnel. Keep water covered.
* Never pick a souvenir. Mines can be disguised as all sorts of attractive objects.
* If you've witnessed crimes by military forces, hide your film and move away calmly. (Witnesses may be a target of elimination)
* Try to stay close to car or exit routes.
* Lock doors in vehicles, and in the house before leaving.
* Do not be the easiest target. Do not develop a predictable travel routine (time, place). Do not make plans using a hotel phone; use public or private phone (remember they can be intercepted).
* Meet in public areas, and be careful of last-minute areas where you are given little time to disagree.

8. Be aware of your surroundings (p23, 24, 31, 33)
* Do not stand next to military vehicles or any strategic targets. (Areas of recent firing)
* Perceive morale, discipline and attitude of fighters.
* Note geography and likely firing locations (try to look for higher, more distant positions for shooting with long lenses).
* Know your physical limits.
* Be careful of friendly fire, empty streets, and celebratory fire.

Official figures focus on those who were killed in wars or civil conflict, or who were otherwise targeted. While they record the deaths of journalists in accidents while on a hazardous assignment, they do not record the deaths of journalists who die in traffic accidents because they are trying to reach a story too fast, or working past the point of exhaustion, or because they put their lives in the hands of drivers who do not know an unlit, dangerous road. They do not tell of those who survive but who are so physically and mentally scarred that they are unable to work effectively again. They do not record the impact of death and injury on other journalists who may be reluctant to probe areas that have proved fatal for their colleagues.

9. Know your weapons (p25-26, 34)
* Accuracy is affected by type, quality, weather, and the person firing
* Body armor protects against low-velocity weapons like pistols or rifles, which can hit at up to 20m; semi-automatic weapons tend to fire high and to the right; high-velocity weapons like rifles and machine guns fire faster than the speed of sound, which can fire 200-300 & 70-100m respectively
* M16 and AK47 machine guns are common and are dangerous even at 1000-1500m
* Snipers can shoot accurately up to 600m - stay low
* Rubber bullets, dum-dum bullets fragment upon impact, incendiary bullets, tracer bullets, tanks shells require ear protectors
* Light artillery can shoot up to 17km, medium up to 24km, and heavy up to 30km. Multi-range can drop 8,000 shells on a football field around 30km away. Some scatter shrapenl over a 500m radius.
* Bracketing (firing in front and behind can help artillery commanders accurately fire at targets.
* Anti-tank mines destroy cars. Anti-personnel mines (can be as simple as trip-wire detonators) kill people. Fragmentation mines contain ball bearings or shrapnel that target wide areas. Bounding framentation (like claymore) mines jump a metre above ground when activated and sends fragments 200m. (Ie. Butterfly) mines can also be thrown from helicopters.

10. Checkpoints (p27-30)
* Do not carry anything except for papers in your hands. Identify yourself as a journalist. Include photos of family to humanize yourself.
* Be polite. Do not volunteer more information than asked, and do not be too curious.
* Do not film without permission.
* If treated hostily, offer a cigarette or sweet.
* If the soldier is listless or has constricted pupils; they probably have reduced inhibitions.
* Accidents that block the road may be a trap. Stop some distance away and keep an escape avenue.

11. Riots
* Risk comes from all sides: police and protestors.
* Be careful of tear gas. Take a wet towel, water (Plan A), and some citrus fruit (Plan B). Consider goggles or a mask. Try to position yourself upward.
* If Molotov cocktails may be used, have a means of extinguishing flames.
* Consider protective clothing if firearms may be used (a magazine/newspaper can be inserted under a jumper as a make-shift anti-stab vest).
* Carry first aid kits and a day's worth of food and water.
* Wear loose clothing, made of natural fibers (not as prone to burning). Cover arms, legs, and neck.
* Wear balaclavas or motorcycle helmets if fearful of being identified (and misrepresented as part of a targeted group)
* Know likely movements, flash points, and safety routes. (Form a mental map, including nearest hospital, main exit routes, etc.)
* Pre-arrange contact points and times with team, and keep communicating or stay together if possible.
* You don't need to be part of the crowd if you are not a cameraman.

12. Terror Attacks
* Somewhere that was attacked once is likely to be attacked again in a revenge attack.
* Double bombs are common. The first draws the crowd, the second kills.

13. Taken hostage / Detention
* Rare, usually lasts only a few hours, and ~80% are released safely.
- It may happen suddenly. [* If armed, you may have no options. If not, scream and draw attention to yourself. * You can pretend to faint, to make it more difficult to get you into a car.]
- You may be offered a desirable interview and safe passage. The route would change often for security reasons, then you may be handed off to a friend by the intermediary, while changing cars. [* Consider the person's interview and violence record. Ask why you? Be wary if there's no reason. * Do not trust new friends. * Discuss with the team in advance the point beyond which you will not go.]
* Try to humanize yourself and build a relationship with the captor.
* Do what you are told, but do not try to appease. Retain that journalists are neutral parties.
* Do not believe promises of release until it happens. Behave as if you will be held for a long time.
* Talk to someone in your mind, make plans with them (on how you will survive or what you will do when you return). Pray. Recite poetry.
* If held for more than day, ask for "petty concessions". For example, not to be chained, or to be given soap. Make it a daily request. Thank them, wait a little, then make another request.
* When negotiating, consider:
- How much influence does your network/org have?
- Do abductors know that?
- Is the reason you were abducted political or economic benefits, insurance, mistaken identity, or revenge?
* Escape attempts are likely to fail unless there are outside factors or an element of surprise. Consider your physical strength (being held too long will reduce endurance). Look out of security failures. If your captors treat you more inhumanely, do not feed you, and/or are releasing others but not you (i.e. you feel your life is at risk), consider escape. Try to collaborate with others, albeit cautiously.
* Once you escape, you can either head to nearest public space and make noise, or hide and try to reach safety in degrees, depending on the neighborhood's safety.

A journalist on assignment should become a hypochondriac.

14. Illness
* Could be deadlier than guns. Even minor illnesses (like athlete's foot) should be treated ASAP.
* Avoid ice cubes and restaurant water if cleanliness is suspect. Preferrably, buy sealed (carbonated, can be reduced by adding sugar) water, add iodine/chlorine for 10-20m before drinking, boil for 8-10m, or use good water filters. You can also use 4h of ultra-violet sunrays to purify filtered water (in a plastic or glass bottle).
* Overcooking is better than undercooking meat. Thoroughly wash or disinfect any knife or board used to prepare meat before reusage. Even vegetables should be cooked where water is suspect. Peel fruit.

Journalists need to know how to deliver emergency aid rather than first aid.

15. Injury
* Wear gloves where possible. Cut away clothes (without reopening any dried-blood wounds), check body from top to bottom.
* Dr ABC: Danger (to you, to the casualty, remove the casualtyfrom the dangerous situation or the danger from the casualty, get to medical center), response (ask about the patient's condition, reassure them even if they do not respond, as hearing is the last sense to go), Airway (Tip the head back so the jawline points upward at a right angle, sweep a finger as far down the throat as you can to remove obstacles like blood, especially if there is noisy breathing, use a guedal airway if needed), Breathing (CPR (16-20b/m) - two breahs through the mouth, holding nose closed, find the start of the breast bone, 15 steady pumps with crossed palms over the heart, repeat), Circulation (check neck (with 4 fingers), wrist, or inside of elbew or knee for pulse, should be 60-90b/m). Check them every 15m. Record everything (including time, condition, action taken) and send it to the center with them.
* Check for wounds, internal bleeding, or fractured spine. Ask them to waggle their toes if conscious. Tickle their feet, rub their breastbone, and pinch them if semi-conscious. If unconscious, assume they have a fractured spine and do not move them without immobilizing the neck. Do not move the injured before stabilizing.
* To stop bleeding, apply pressure to wounds so blood would clot: apply sterile bandages with both hands and body weight for 10m minimum. Keep the bandages in place. Use weather-proof dressings. Repeat if wound bleeds through. If that does not work, apply pressure to spots where large arteries intersect with bones (like this). If other methods fail (or if you need to move the person to give them better aid in a few minutes), you can also use a tourniquet (tightened- 2.5-5cm broad - strap above the joint, use a stick to turn it tightly), but start releasing it after 15-20m over 2-3m. Record the times. After stopping the bleeding, raise the limb if possible.
*

* You may be able to survive around 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, and 3 minutes without oxygen.