"This guide is both ambitious and modest. Ambitious because it wants to help journalists working in war situations. Modest because we have no miracle solution to offer. But the suggestions you will find in this guide, based on an all too often ignored common sense, should help many reporters to steer clear of a lot of problems. We have recalled first key documents that spell out the principles of press freedom, along with charters and declarations concerning the journalistic profession. They come from all over the world, ranging from the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights to the Munich Charter about rights and duties of journalists to a charter the staff of the Japanese newspaper Nihon Shinbun Kyokaï use as guidance. As well as general documents, we thought it very important to include practical advice, such as the BBC gives to all its journalists when they go on a dangerous assignment. We have listed all the precautions to be taken to give better protection in such situations, such as where there are snipers, where people are taken hostage and when journalists are ambushed or have to pass a checkpoint. And when these measures fail, how to start saving a wounded or injured person. Also in the guide are how to go about investigating press freedom violations, as well as a list of the operating rules of the International Committee of the Red Cross and NGOs involved in freedom of expression. These recommendations are practical ones based on long experience in the field. With each new edition, we add suggestions from journalists who work daily in conditions of constantly changing information techniques and technology." (Preface)