Conflict Journalism

According to a well-known anecdote, anthropologists studying "primitives" who supposedly held certain superstitious beliefs (that they descend from a fish or from a bird, for example) asked them directly whether they "really" believed such things. They answered: "Of course not -- we 're not stupid! But I was told that some of our ancestors actually did believe that." In short, they transferred...

When the death toll of Americans in Iraq reached 1,000 back in September 2004, The Omaha World-Herald ran a respectful article in a single column down the right side of its front page. "A grisly milestone reached in Iraq," read the headline. Last week, by contrast, when the roster of American dead reached 2,000, The World-Herald displayed that stark number in large type at the center of its front...

KATMANDU, Nepal -- A general strike shut down schools, businesses and transportation in the capital Friday in a protest of new laws restricting the media for criticizing Nepal's king. Nepal's seven major political parties called the strike to oppose new regulations that let authorities shut down newspapers and radio stations and jail journalists. The new laws, imposed Oct. 9, make publishing or...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP): Deteriorating security in Iraq has made it much more difficult to provide the news coverage Americans need to understand the war and reconstruction efforts, several journalists said Friday. As the military death toll rises, the media also is under pressure from critics in the United States to cover the "good news" of the U.S.-led reconstruction efforts, the journalists noted...

The Supreme Court of Nepal has asked the government to furnish written replies over the controversial media ordinance issued by King Gyanendra and a subsequent midnight raid conducted on a private FM radio station by the police. VOX POPULI: There have been widespread protests agianst the King's controversial media ordinance. Nine professional organisations filed a writ petition challenging the...

Journalist Dahr Jamail chose his words carefully when trying to answer a young boy's question about the U.S. bombing of Fallujah. "The military has to follow orders from above," said Jamail, one of few independent U.S. journalists covering the war in Iraq, who spoke to a capacity crowd at the UCSC Music Recital Hall on Oct. 19. "Even when their own commanders don't agree with the orders, the...

KATHMANDU, Oct 23 - Nine professional organizations, on Sunday, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking nullification of the media ordinance, claiming it is against the Constitution. "The Ordinance contravenes constitutional provisions on Articles 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 22 and 72 . So the ordinance should be nullified," reads the petition. The provisions are related to right to...

Police on Friday raided a major private radio broadcaster, seizing key studio and transmitting components after the station defied a government order to halt newscasts, an official said. Kantipur Radio channel -- which belongs to the country's largest private media group -- was raided by dozens of police on Friday, said Amit Dhakal, news editor of the Kathmandu Post, the English daily published by...

The tragic events of April 8th 2003 when three journalists were killed by American military in Baghdad will haunt the United States until it carries out independent inquiries into the deaths, says the International Federation of Journalists today following the news that Spain has issued warrants for the arrest of three soldiers. The IFJ says that there are 18 deaths of journalists and media staff...

A Madrid court has issued arrest warrants against three US soldiers it held responsible for the death of a Spanish television cameraman during the Iraq war. Lieutenant Colonel Philip de Camp, Captain Philip Wolford and Sergeant Shawn Gibson of the US army are wanted for questioning as suspects in the killing of José Couso. JUST AIM AND SHOOT: "If they’re capable of murdering a journalist with...