Extract from: The kidnapping of journalists

Book

The contemporary increase in kidnapping and killing of journalists worldwide is forcing news enterprises to confront issues of journalists’ safety. Complex organisational and journalistic issues surround the capture or kidnapping of journalists in areas of conflict and risk. The authors wrestle with the difficult questions surrounding kidnappings, drawing upon the experiences of journalists who have survived kidnappings, the families of kidnap victims, executives of news organisations whose personnel have been kidnapped, and insurers and recovery teams. They explore how journalists becoming news is covered and the implications of that coverage, how news organisations prepare for and respond to such events, and how kidnapping and ransom insurers, victim recovery firms, journalists’ families, and governments influence actions of news enterprises. They consider how and why journalists are kidnapped, how employers and journalists’ organisations respond to kidnappings, why freelancers are particularly at risk, and best practices in preventing and responding to kidnappings.

Authors: Picard, R; Storm, H

• Alternative title: Reporting from high risk conflict zones
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: I.B.Tauris and Co. Ltd in association with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
• Publication date: 2016-03-30
• ISBN: 9781784535896
• Keywords: Journalists; News organisations; Safety; Crisis management; Abduction