Handbook for Journalists
Paris: Reporters Without Borders;UNESCO (2010), 108 pp.
"This handbook is to help journalists working in war zones. There is no magic way to avoid a rocket attack or an ambush, but the tips here are based on common sense (which is too often ignored) and should help many journalists solve a lot of problems. We present basic press freedom documents, declarations and ethics charters from all over the world, including the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Interamerican Convention on Human Rights, the Munich Charter on journalists’ rights and duties and journalists’ codes of conduct in Mali and in the US. As well as these broad documents, we also reprint practical advice such as that which the BBC gives all its journalists before they leave on dangerous assignments. We have also added (courtesy of the French defence ministry’s office of information, DICoD) the rules for self-protection given to French soldiers facing dangerous situations (riots, snipers, kidnappings, ambushes, roadblocks) and, when these precautions fail, what to do immediately to save the wounded and injured. There have been two additions to the 2010 edition of the handbook: very specific recommendations on the role of the media in humanitarian and public health emergencies and practical advice, drafted in cooperation with the Dart Centre, for coping with post-traumatic stress." (Preface, page 5)
1 Key documents about protecting journalists in war zones, 6
2 Health precautions, 17
3 Safety behind the lines, 21
4 Safety in war zones, 25
5 Protecting journalists and other media staff: the example of the BBC, 42
6 First aid for the wounded and injured, 56
7 Role of the media in humanitarian and public health emergencies, 68
8 Protection offered by Reporters Without Borders, 73
9 Psychological trauma: managing traumatic stress, 76
10 Relations with the ICRC, 82
11 Basic press freedom documents, 84
12 Key documents about journalistic ethics, 88
Appendix 1 Useful addresses, 95
Appendix 2 Reporters Without Borders: introduction and contacts, 98
Appendix 3 Insurance policy for freelance journalists and photographers on assignment, 102
Appendix 4 Training for journalists going to work in dangerous areas, 106
2 Health precautions, 17
3 Safety behind the lines, 21
4 Safety in war zones, 25
5 Protecting journalists and other media staff: the example of the BBC, 42
6 First aid for the wounded and injured, 56
7 Role of the media in humanitarian and public health emergencies, 68
8 Protection offered by Reporters Without Borders, 73
9 Psychological trauma: managing traumatic stress, 76
10 Relations with the ICRC, 82
11 Basic press freedom documents, 84
12 Key documents about journalistic ethics, 88
Appendix 1 Useful addresses, 95
Appendix 2 Reporters Without Borders: introduction and contacts, 98
Appendix 3 Insurance policy for freelance journalists and photographers on assignment, 102
Appendix 4 Training for journalists going to work in dangerous areas, 106
