Recently, I came across a very pretentious book on combat journalism written by a man who obviously has never really been in the shit. I forced a deep sigh and decided not to reach through the computer screen and suffocate the writer, instead deciding to write my own manual on how to deal with journalism. Perhaps this will help those who travel abroad to report on conflicts or those whose jobs require them to travel to risky regions of the world.
There are some outstanding combat reporters out there, like Al Venter, who have been at it for a long time. There are many young journalists out there who seem completely lost in the sauce, but I would never presume to tell these people how to do their jobs. At this point, it has become cliché to portray a young social justice activist who relocates to the Middle East to work as a journalist and whose only flaw is that they care too much. I hope this guide offers some advice that journalism school professors are reluctant to share but that could be crucial for reporting and for returning home safely.
I advised some of the SOFREP writers planning an upcoming “deployment” that it is crucial to make contacts and have a simple strategy in place before departing. If not, you might travel to the operation’s area and find yourself spending five days in a row watching porn on Showtime in a hotel room. Initially, you may want to cast a wide net. On the ground, some contacts will work out for you, while others won’t. Never head out with only one option. You need to have a plan B and C in addition to some backup plans in case you need to leave quickly. If one contact fails and you are unable to cover the conflict as a result, your poor planning is to blame.
Since it is so simple to cast a wide net and start corresponding with people on social media these days, where do you start when you want to establish some sources and contacts locally? I’ve had the good fortune to have prior Middle Eastern experience from my time in the Army, which gives me an advantage, but that isn’t enough. Nowadays, both the good guys and the bad guys in any war are on social media. There are numerous ways to start gathering sources, and some journalists engage in extensive chicanery.
I use a different but effective strategy: I just tell people what I’m looking for up front. Some people won’t speak to you, and they have their reasons for doing so. Others will be more than happy to help out. You’ll eventually come across the right people who can help you open some doors. Making contacts doesn’t have to wait for a future trip, either. Start right away if there is a region you are curious about.
You can start to focus on what is interesting and previously unreported by speaking with a variety of contacts and browsing open-source media sources. You should now create a broad game plan and some simple story concepts. Because things change quickly in a war zone, I purposefully use ambiguous terms like “general” and “basic.” Be prepared for that. You need a strategy and some reliable contacts, but you also need that strategy to be flexible enough to allow you to change directions when necessary.
There are some excellent trainers, but there are also many training programs that are a waste of time, particularly for journalists. There are some expensive “combat journalism” courses that teach a ton of nonsense, in my opinion. The average Joe can definitely benefit from training before entering a combat area—at the very least, basic combat first-aid skills. Basic first aid and some trauma medicine basics, such as how to treat a gunshot wound or an amputated limb, are part of this. I believe most journalists would be better served by locating a former Ranger or Special Forces medic (both of whom are graduates of the Special Operations Combat Medics School) and giving him some beer money for a day of medical instruction rather than shelling out $2,000 to take a course on this.
In my opinion, reporters only need to know how to use cover and concealment to avoid being shot. They don’t really need tactical training beyond that. However, even though they are not required to use infantry tactics in their reporting, journalists may benefit from learning about them. Most veterans scoff at combat reporting because the author frequently lacks any military expertise Making simple errors, such as writing that the AK-47 fires five rounds, is one of the quickest ways to damage your reputation. 56mm bullets. No one will have faith in your ability to accurately report on the big picture if you can’t handle the small details.
Basic military knowledge is therefore important when covering conflicts. Before leaving, make sure to plan and prepare by reading up on the history of the area you’re visiting and familiarizing yourself with the strategies and weapons used during that conflict.
What to bring will depend on where in the world you are going. I hope you don’t need me to tell you that if you’re going to Iraq in July, you can leave your winter parka at home. I’ve discovered that as I get better at knowing what I need and don’t need, I pack less and less. A few pairs of pants, a collared shirt if you’re meeting with a significant other, and a number of those moisture-wicking T-shirts will do the trick. Cram them all into a compression sack to save space.
You’re going to war, dammit, so leave that damn roller suitcase at home. That’s why I carry a rucksack. I love my Kifaru ZXR, but since I don’t wear military-style gear when I travel, I also bring an Arc-Teryx Needle that I’ve had for about ten years. It is a straightforward top-loading waterproof ruck that serves its purpose.
I’m a little low-tech for someone of my generation; I much prefer a notepad and paper. Having said that, I’ve also brought a secure tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard so I can take private notes. When you are stopped by local security at a dubious border crossing, you will understand this. Additionally, encrypt your mobile device and avoid willingly handing it over. If asked, just say you lost it. I prefer Nexus tablets and smartphones that can be used with a local SIM card. The ability to quickly take notes with a pen and paper is still useful; you can always type them on a tablet and later discard the handwritten notes.
I once used a money belt in Central America, but I don’t particularly like them because they cause you to sweat through your 20-dollar bills on long treks. A better alternative is one of those lanyards that you wear around your neck while concealing it under your shirt. Keep your passport and money inside of it in a ziplock bag. Yes, I said cash. One day you might need those dollars to negotiate your release.
I would advise a GPS called the DeLorme as a kidnapping deterrent. The DeLorme, designed for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, enables you to text a friend back home with short messages and GPS grids. You can send a grid and brief message to your friend in the morning saying something like, “0900, leaving Erbil going to Kirkuk.” “At least people will know where to start looking for you if you go missing,”
Risk mitigation is a bullshit corporate buzzword. If you wanted to be safe and secure, you would stay at home, but fortune favors the brave. Having said that, it isn’t our responsibility to be on the front lines firing guns because we’re not suicidal here and we’re not soldiers (at least not me anymore) either. You want to be close to the shit as a reporter, not in the shit. Let’s just talk about common sense instead of risk reduction, okay?
Oh, I don’t know…HOW ABOUT YOU FUCKING DUCK! Make yourself a smaller target and move to cover if you get shot at. Sound like a good plan to you? Great, me too. Do I want to travel in one of their armored vehicles if I’m embedded with troops that are being killed by enemy air strikes? No, I don’t.
In a war zone, there are many dangerous situations, and as a reporter, you should cover them. It only requires a quick calculation of risk versus reward in your head. It probably isn’t worth it to low-crawl 1,000 meters under ISIS tracer fire for a picture that nobody at home will care about in the first place. There are times when it is possible to obtain the same information with considerably less risk, such as by interviewing soldiers who are just off the front lines rather than spending the entire night eating mortar rounds. Occasionally, you may have to avoid some shrapnel; it all depends on the circumstance and the level of risk you are willing to take in order to tell your story.
Rapport-building is probably the most important aspect of war reporting. If you behave badly and use people as objects in order to advance your career, you will at best be rejected. At worst, you’ll get tossed into the body wadi. People who talk about the sanctity of life always make me laugh. What is the value of a human life in Iraq? One hundred dollars, baby. Don’t play fuck fuck games, especially with professional killers. You laugh, but I’ve seen foreigners do just that.
Listen, when it comes to establishing rapport, you really can’t fake it. People are going to see right through your little facade if you’re an asshole. Many journalists entered the field because they have compassion for others and want to share their stories. As long as they don’t let their ideals trump their pragmatism, these people will be okay. Use that empathy to understand the characters and situations in the story you are pursuing and to get inside their heads, but resist the urge to fall in love with the causes; that isn’t your job.
You will also benefit from following my planning-stage advice in this situation. People on the ground will see that you take your job seriously if you are knowledgeable about the country you are in and the current political and security dynamics. Knowing the local history and staying current with current events will also go a long way and make it easier to strike up conversations with interesting people.
Only after you’ve established trust with neighborhood sources can you start approaching them for assistance. You start trading up the chain at this point and requesting introductions to influential people with whom you would not typically have contact. Once more, if you are merely attempting to use people to access others who you view as more important, this will become clear very quickly. You’ll start burning bridges faster than you can build them. Your goal isn’t to cherry-pick one or two high-level sources. Instead, you should create a network of contacts that you can use, using a variety of sources to verify information as necessary.
You should be aware of one more thing regarding making friends overseas. Factionalism and nepotism can be very real in certain countries. Of course, we have the same thing here in America, but it is frequently much more overt abroad. In the US, we are more adept at concealing these things. You will occasionally need to negotiate with groups of friends and people who share your interests, but in my experience, getting caught up in a conflict between two opposing political factions is far more dangerous.
Being a writer, you want to have as much access as you can in order to write a story that is as complete as possible, so this is challenging for you. There are no concrete solutions to this problem, but you should be aware that cooperating with one faction will make the other one automatically avoid working with you. You can review Machiavelli at your leisure, but when navigating a politically charged minefield, you should take this into careful consideration.
Good god, you kids and your social media. I cringe when I see journalists constantly updating their Instagram and tweeting about where they are. This is how you get kidnapped by terrorists or picked up by foreign intelligence services. Do you really want the Daeshbags and Shia militias to know where you are, where you are going, and who you are with?
I was transferred from a PKK safe house in the city to a guerrilla stronghold in the mountains before being driven in the middle of the night to the Syrian border. I was going to enter Syria illegally via a ratline that was typically used to transport fighters and weapons to the YPG. Our headlights revealed a small inflatable raft with an outboard engine heading toward the shore as our car descended to the river. Here we go again, I thought to myself.
There are numerous ways to navigate a conflict zone, and each carries risks of course. Moving on foot can involve gunfire, approaching mortars, scrambling over berm lines, and even improvised explosive devices. Passenger jets can be shot down by surface-to-air missiles, buses can be hijacked, cars can be stopped at military checkpoints, and cars can be stopped by military personnel.
Route selection and who you are traveling with are the two main considerations. These are the kinds of questions you need to ask your local contacts: Are there checkpoints along the way? Who operates them? Have others had trouble with the guards over the last few weeks? Are there any recent incidents of IEDs going off on the route you are taking? Is there a way to mitigate that by traveling at night or taking an entirely different route?
However good some “fixers” are, I personally don’t like using them. You will require a fixer of some sort if you don’t speak the local languages, regardless Your fixer might be worthwhile of your time if he comes highly recommended and has a support system in place to help him navigate the checkpoints. But employing a fixer doesn’t mean you hand over control of your work to him. You only employ him when necessary; otherwise, you establish your own contacts and have him accompany you to meetings with them. If you do decide to hire a fixer, you should thoroughly investigate them because the less reputable ones frequently sell Western journalists to ISIS.
What does a war correspondent do?
War reporters inform the public about the problems associated with wars and how they affect people. They frequently visit foreign nations during times of war to observe the events, research the problems, and interact with locals. War correspondents may report from the front lines of an ongoing conflict or remain in safe areas depending on the subject they are covering. Typically, they speak with both military personnel and civilians in order to understand the various viewpoints of those involved.
What is a war correspondent?
A journalist who specializes in covering wars is known as a war correspondent. Some seasoned war correspondents work for themselves as freelancers, while others frequently work for television networks, newspapers, or other media organizations. The main responsibility of war reporters is to gather information about international conflicts as they develop and to inform the public about it.
How to become a war correspondent
Follow these four steps to learn how to cover wars:
1. Earn a bachelors degree
A bachelor’s degree is typically required for jobs in journalism, regardless of the field. The majority of those interested in this profession major in journalism, but some also hold degrees in related disciplines like English or mass communication. To get ready for an international trip, they might also enroll in foreign language classes. A degree from one of these programs may increase your chances of landing a job if you’re interested in working as a war correspondent. Look for programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).
2. Consider a masters degree
Although master’s degrees are frequently made optional for candidates for journalism jobs by employers, obtaining a graduate degree can help you gain a deeper understanding of the field. You can also choose to specialize in a variety of master’s degree fields, such as international reporting, which can help you get ready for a career as a war correspondent. If you have an interest in eventually earning a Ph. D. You must complete a master’s degree before applying to your doctorate program in order to contribute to journalism research.
3. Gain experience as a journalist
Advanced journalism skills enable war correspondents to work efficiently and keep themselves safe in potentially dangerous environments. War correspondents are typically hired by employers who have previously employed them as other types of journalists, such as broadcasters or newspaper columnists. Before graduating from college, college students who want to cover wars can start gaining experience by contributing to their campus newspaper or looking for internships with regional media outlets.
4. Join professional organizations
There are numerous professional journalism organizations that offer networking opportunities, educational opportunities, and employment resources to those working in the field. Some of these groups focus on particular types of journalism, like online or radio news Others aid in the employment of LGBTQ people, women, and people of color by advancing underrepresented groups in the journalism industry.
War correspondent skills
Here are some abilities that can make you a successful war reporter:
Resilience
War reporters encounter a variety of difficulties, especially when working in a conflict zone, but resilience can help them adapt and get past those difficulties. Resilience entails remaining upbeat in the face of challenges, coming up with innovative solutions to them, and using difficult experiences to learn and grow. You can develop resilience and practice it in the field by having faith in your abilities and being aware of your surroundings.
Flexibility
War correspondents’ duties, working conditions, and daily schedules frequently and quickly change. Correspondents may need to change their plans due to the numerous uncertainties and unforeseen events that war entails, giving them little time to get ready for their subsequent moves. You can respond appropriately to changing circumstances, quickly make alternative arrangements, and overcome unexpected challenges by remaining flexible in this role.
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are crucial to helping war reporters communicate with others because they frequently interact with many people from diverse backgrounds. They gain knowledge of local cultural norms, including appropriate conduct, facial expressions, and body language, when they travel to another country. When interacting with people to obtain information for their stories, this demonstrates respect and enables correspondents to establish professional relationships.
Written communication
War reporters can converse with the subjects of their interviews thanks to their verbal and written communication skills, which also enable them to compile their findings into reports. In order to ensure that their readers are given the correct information, journalists who write specifically to relay the facts about a situation must give accuracy top priority in their reports. To entice readers to read their columns or editorials, authors create intriguing headlines and employ engaging writing techniques.
Attention to detail
War reporters pay close attention to every detail in their work. They constantly monitor their surroundings to look for information that might help their reports and remain safe in strange places. Additionally, they pay close attention to what interview subjects say and ensure that accurate translations are available in case they run into a language barrier. Attention to detail enables war correspondents to share their reports in a factual, thought-provoking manner. War correspondents have a responsibility to make the information they provide meaningful.
Please be aware that Indeed is not connected to any of the organizations mentioned in this article.
Joe Rogan | The Truth About War Correspondents w/Ben Anderson
FAQ
How much money does a war correspondent make?
The annual average pay for a combat correspondent in the United States is $49,819, according to statistics.
How do you become a correspondent?
To work as a correspondent, a person must earn a degree in journalism. An aspiring journalist may begin by reporting or writing brief news items, but they will eventually advance in the field by writing longer pieces and eventually becoming correspondents.
How do I become a freelance war correspondent?
- Earn a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is typically required for jobs in journalism, regardless of the field.
- Consider a master’s degree. …
- Gain experience as a journalist. …
- Join professional organizations.
How much do foreign war correspondents make?
The average Foreign Correspondent in the US makes $45,348. The average bonus for a Foreign Correspondent is $925 which represents 2% of their salary, with 100% of people reporting that they receive a bonus each year
