We are taking a class with Centurion Risk Assessment Services, spending two days working with former British Royal Marines on topics like first aid and understanding weapons and mines.
A recent Washington Post article by journalist Emily Wax got me thinking more about the trip-and about what I will need to prepare for if I do get to work abroad one day, particularly as a woman working in areas of conflict. In her article Wax questions whether there needs to be additional preparation for female reporters heading to conflict zones.
The topic recently came to the forefront of media attention when CBS’s veteran correspondent Lara Logan was sexually assaulted while covering the celebration surrounding Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s decision to step down from power. Logan was separated from her crew in Tahrir Square when she was assaulted. She was eventually saved by a group of women and Egyptian soldiers.
The incident raises the question; do women need to prepare to work in war zones in a different way than men do?
“Female correspondents deployed to countries such as Egypt, Pakistan or India might be better served by instruction in handling less extreme but more pervasive challenges: what to do if a stranger grabs your buttocks while you are reporting on the street, or if a male hotel worker enters your room while you are showering,” writes Wax. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-post-reporter-shares-her-perspective-on-hazards-for-female-journalists-
abroad/2011/04/04/AFem8peD_story_2.html.
Not all female journalists agree. Kelly Kennedy has seen conflicts both as a soldier and as a correspondent for the Army Times and says that hazards exist for all journalists. She argues that gender can be a factor for men too.
“In certain ways being a female helps you and in certain ways it doesn’t; we take advantage [of this fact] just as a guy would do. You take advantage of what you’ve got,” said Kennedy .
Kennedy said she was generally not harassed during her time reporting.
“It’s not like Lara Logan is alone [as a journalist who was attacked]; men have been beaten up in those situations too,” said Kim Barker, a journalist with ProPublica who reported in places including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India from 2004 to 2009 for the Chicago Tribune. “The idea of people saying she is too pretty to work there, it’s bulls***. Sometimes bad things happen to good journalists, as many precautions as they take.”
Barker recently wrote a book about her experiences working abroad called ‘The Taliban Shuffle.’ She says that with the recent deaths of several journalists in Libya, the danger of the job has ‘been on everyone’s minds. But she also adds that taking risks is ‘part of the job’.
Carole Rees, the business development manager for Centurion, said in an email that about forty percent of the journalists Centurion trains are women. She says Centurion has always offered training on gender issues and safety in other countries: “With regard to the risks faced by female journalists, we always encourage open discussion of safety issues for women (and even offer extended closed sessions about rape and sexual assault for female journalists if wanted).”
Participants also give feedback on their training and experiences which go into reworking courses. Rees says that adapting courses is the best way and try to prepare journalists who intend to work in conflict areas, no matter their gender. But, she adds that no situation is the same and preparation can’t predict what will happen despite preparation.
“We all realistically understand (I hope) that no amount of training could ever 100% guarantee that women will not be physically or sexually molested in volatile areas. If that hypothesis worked, rape would be a thing of the past,” said Rees.
Still, the consensus seems to be that being prepared in general is the best way to handle any new situation. And female correspondents aren’t backing down.
“Part of the reason there isn’t as much of a fuss about female soldiers fighting on the front lines is because female war correspondents have been doing it for a long time,” said Kennedy, who has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Maybe the lesson for all reporters is to be as safe and aware as possible when reporting, no matter who you are. As for me, I hope to learn as much as I can next week and hopefully put it to good use one day soon.
5/12/11- Ultimately, Centurion did address the risks for journalists regarding sexual assault and harassment during the two day course. My take away was the emphasis on how ultimately journalists working abroad has to think about taking care of themselves first despite getting in the way of the story. The teachers were sincere in their emphasis on personal safety beyond all else. They said that really the best safety practice is common sense. Cross the street if someone looks off, don’t walk alone at night. Interestingly enough, practical advice applicable no matter where you are in the world. Advice that many of us were taught as kids to be safe.
It is the unfortunate reality that there remains places in the world where women have to be much more careful of their personal safety. Attending Centurion’s camp was a sobering reminder to me that dangers do exist as I go out to report. But I think the key for all journalists is to be as prepared as possible and be smart about entering a new area, no matter what country or the reporter’s gender.
Josh Meyer, left, co-author of 
