War reporting, international humanitarian law and the legacy of Balibo

Abstract

Commentary: Organisations like the International News Safety Institute (INSI), formed in 2001 and based in Brussels, have created an impressive global network to help news workers facing danger on assignment; as well, big networks such as the BBC, CNN and the ABC have adopted measures including battlefield security courses, protective gear, first-aid training, and carefully-rehearsed exit strategies. Despite all this, reporters are still being targeted, and too many governments are still ignoring, and even giving support to, the killing of journalists.

Keywords

• armed conflict
• conflict reporting
• disaster reporting
• Geneva Conventions
• humanitarian law
• war reporting