war
FULLY BOOKED Communicating about Syria – A humanitarian perspective
The humanitarian situation in Syria has dramatically worsened over the past weeks and the plight of the Syrian people has drawn international attention and concern as well as condemnation of the Syrian regime.
Join us to discuss the humanitarian efforts being made in Syria and the many challenges that are faced. How do journalists and humanitarian agencies share information in such a complex conflict situation? We will analyse the balance between openness and the ability to continue to provide vital assistance on the ground in a conflict such as that in Syria.
US Navy to spend $249 million on “battlespace awareness”
The US Navy has announced that it will spend up to an estimated $249 million on “battlespace awareness”. Last Thursday, the Navy awarded a new contract to five intelligence, computer and security companies to provide both hardware and “the development, integration, and test of intelligence, battlespace awareness, and information operations applications”.
Screening: We Went to War + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Michael Grigsby and Rebekah Tolley. In 1970, director Michael Grigsby portrayed three young men returning home after spending a year at the frontline of the Vietnam War. The award-winning documentary I Was a Soldier focused on how David Johnson, Dennis Bolinger and Lamar Wyatt were […]
British Army investigating ‘racist’ tweet to Lily Allen
A Twitter user claiming to be serving in the British Army has sent an allegedly racist tweet to Lily Allen. Earlier today, Harry Wilson sent the following message to the singer (@lilyrosecooper) who has 3.5 million followers: Allen subsequently complained to the British Army indicating that Wilson should be "disciplined". Wilson initially retweeted reaction […]
Photo Week 2012 – Voices of the South Atlantic with Adriana Groisman
By Rosie Scammell
An intimate evening unfolded at the Frontline Club last night, as Argentine photojournalist Adriana Groisman talked through her photography commemorating the Falklands/Malvinas War.
Photo Week 2012 – Voices of the South Atlantic with Adriana Groisman
Nearly eight years in the making, Voices of the Atlantic marks the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas War. This major exhibition of photographs by Argentinian photographer Adriana Groisman examines the issues of war and its consequences. Groisman will be speaking about her motivations for the project as well as her experiences whilst making the work.
Reporting Somalia: Expanding the scope of the media’s eye?
When you think of Somalia, what comes to mind? Conflict? Pirates? Refugees? Poverty? Somalia is still a dangerous place for journalists to operate: according to the Committee to Protect Journalists five journalists have been killed there this year. But improvements in the security situation are offering new opportunities to access stories that may have been too risky to […]
Taliban take questions using online forum
Reuters is reporting that the Taliban have started answering queries submitted to an online forum on their website. Questions have been asked on topics ranging from the Taliban’s negotiations with the United States to their position on educating girls. The Taliban banned girls from schools while they were in power, although there were reports in […]
Behind the scenes: social media at the Israel Defence Forces
This is an extended news report on the Israel Defence Forces’ social media activities including interviews with the soldiers updating the various IDFSpokesperson accounts. The video is a year old, but I’ve been looking for this sort of material for a while. The IDF started with a blog and a YouTube channel in 2008 during Operation Cast […]
Full House UK Premiere Screening: Under Fire: Journalists In Combat
By Nicky Armstrong Half way through the film the ripple effect that war has on journalists and the stresses that leak out from being present at such horrific moments in people’s lives are laid bare for the audience to see. The question of morals, as well as dealing with your own problems and family life […]
FULLY BOOKED-UK Premiere – Under Fire: Journalists in Combat
A unique exploration of the psychological and emotional toll of covering wars and the risks journalists take in order to cover them. Dr. Anthony Feinstein, who works as a psychiatrist for CNN, CBS, BBC, Reuters was involved in the making of the film, which was Shortlisted for the Academy Award nomination for best documentary.
Screening: The Somnambulists
A film that includes 15 testimonies from British servicemen and women involved in the Iraq conflict that challenges public apathy towards war.
General Richards: The media “frequently draw the wrong conclusion” on Afghanistan
The Chief of the Defence Staff gave an annual lecture to the Royal United Services Institute last night. General Sir David Richards spoke broadly about the global environment, the response of the armed forces and particular strategic challenges. He argued that Britain’s main challenge was economic and emphasised the cultivation of strategic alliances to compensate […]
Five links from 2011: ‘Twitter’
I am picking out a few of the more interesting links from my 2011 delicious bookmarks. On Monday, I selected five from my ‘war reporting’ tag. Today, I’ve selected another five from among the bookmarks I labelled ‘Twitter’ in my delicious account. Enjoy! 1. ‘Visualising the New Arab Mind‘ Computational historian Kovas Boguta visualises the Twitter influence […]
Five links from 2011: ‘War Reporting’
This year I bookmarked at least 530 links on delicious. I know that because I try to tag each bookmark by year – I’m three hundred or so links down on last year’s total of 854. Seeing as we’re coming to the end of the year I thought I’d pick out a few of the […]
Twitter memorial for members of the Canadian Forces
The Ottawa Citizen has started a memorial Twitter account for members of the Canadian Forces who have lost their lives in conflict. The account will tweet the name of one service member at 11 minutes past every hour. The name is chosen at random by a computer from a list of more than 119,000 Canadians killed […]
BBC Editor says he was advised to pull journalists from Libya by Foreign Office
On the eve of the fall of Sirte, the BBC’s World News Editor has revealed that the Foreign Office “strongly recommended” to broadcasters that they pull their journalists out of Libya prior to the start of NATO’s bombing campaign. Speaking at yesterday evening’s Frontline Club event on the pressures of reporting conflict, Jon Williams said […]
Reporting conflict: competition, pressure and risks
View in iTunes Watch the event here. By Helena Williams In a year where 100 journalists have been killed so far while trying to tell the story, and as the media’s coverage of events rocking the Middle East have been brought into sharp relief, it seems high time to examine the delicate relationship between ensuring the […]
Vaughan Smith wins war reporting prize for his film Blood and Dust
Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith has been given a prestigious Bayeux-Calvados award for Blood and Dust, a film shot during 10 days spent with a US Medevac helicopter team in Afghanistan. The awards, which were launched in 1994, recognise the work of journalists covering conflicts around the world. Smith’s film, which was shown on Al Jazeera in […]
Martin Bell: Neutrality, safety and how not to do television news
Watch the event here. By Millie Cartwright Veteran war correspondent Martin Bell was at the Frontline Club last night to look back on his long career as a journalist and share some pearls of wisdom for aspiring foreign correspondents. Bell, who later went on to become MP for Tatton, a UNICEF ambassador and prolific writer, […]
The battle for press freedom in Iran, Martin Bell and Somalia: the week ahead at Frontline Club
ANNOUNCING REACTIVE EVENT: Following the arrest of six Iranian filmmakers accused of collaborating secretly with BBC Persian, we will be bringing together a reactive panel on Friday to discuss their detainment and the battle for press freedom in Iran. Join us this evening with veteran war correspondent Martin Bell as he reflects on a career that has seen […]
A decade of wrong decisions and damaging policies
Watch the event here. By Sara Elizabeth Williams The West’s reaction to 9/11 was excessive and misguided, wrongly influenced by hubris, hysteria and ignorance. Ten years on, we are still mired in a mess largely of our own making. Last night’s First Wednesday Special: Changing world – conflict, culture and terrorism in the 21st century, which […]
Changing world – conflict, culture and terrorism in the 21st century
To mark ten years since the terrorist attacks on the United States, the Frontline Club, in association with the BBC’s Arabic service, is holding a special event to look at how 11 September 2001 has defined our world today and will continue to shape our future. We will be discussing the "War on Terror" that […]
Afghanistan: The mistake was not going in, but not knowing why we were there
If you want to take part in further discussion about the impact of the War on Terror on our world today and how it might shape our future, come along to our FIRST WEDNESDAY SPECIAL: Changing world – conflict, culture and terrorism in the 21st century on Wednesday, 7 September. The decision to go into Afghanistan was […]
Libya: Reporting the advance on Tripoli
Rebel forces have jubilantly entered the Libyan capital Tripoli, although fighting still continues in several parts of the city. For a round up of the latest news check out this list on the Small Wars Journal website. Here are a few articles that have caught my eye relevant to the reporting of the rebel advance. […]
BBC journalists reflect on the nature of war reporting
BBC World Affairs Producer Stuart Hughes recently gave a talk on war reporting to a summer school at the London School of Economics. He has uploaded his slides and videos onto YouTube. Inevitably there are a few slides which won’t mean much without the benefit of Hughes’s words overlaid but he has included several interviews […]
The iPhone for war photographers
For many journalists, the iPhone has become a standard part of the toolset. But it’s also being tested to the limit by war reporters. A couple of interesting experiments from Afghanistan caught my eye this morning documenting ventures in the photographic potential of the iPhone. First, this piece in The Guardian highlighting its use by Teru […]
John Pilger and The Wars We Don’t See
By Christopher Czechowicz As a daring and impassioned journalist with a decades-long career, John Pilger has inspired and motivated many to ensure human rights and preserve unfiltered truth. From films such as Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia (1979) to The New Rulers of the World (2001), he has unrelentingly made this his commitment. […]
Ministry of Defence reviewing communication strategy for a networked world
The Ministry of Defence is considering proposals that would empower more members of their staff to communicate so it can compete more effectively in a networked information environment. In particular, the MoD will decide whether to free deployed commanders from aspects of existing constraints which mean their operations are usually communicated through spokespeople. A more […]
Insight with Zarghuna Kargar: The women of Afghanistan
Watch event here. By Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi Women would be the biggest losers if Afghanistan’s peace plan includes a deal with fundamentalist elements of the Taliban, according to Rachel Reid, who hosted Frontline’s talk with Afghan journalist Zarghuna Kargar. Reid sais she had lost hope that peace in Afghanistan would include progress for women. Reid, […]