One of the great journalistic challenges of this era is in covering conflicts in which the major powers see almost no interests at stake. Every editor faces the decision of how much time and money to invest and whose life to risk in events that may prove to be another Rwanda, Bosnia, Chechnya, and Timor. These four cases are typical: leading politicians dismissed them as peripheral events as they unfolded, but they proved to be compelling tales that have changed our era and its consciousness.
On May 5th & 6th, 2000 the Crimes of War Project and the Freedom Forum held a seminar to explore these issues. Designed for a small number of foreign editors or their designated deputies, the seminar took a close look at the risks and uncertainties in reporting conflict in the changed international landscape, addressed practical questions such as insurance and safety training, looked at the ethical and professional issues, and critically examined the laws of armed conflict as possible tools for investigative coverage.
Follow the links below to see the agendas for both days of the seminar and to download sections of the transcript.