OCHIENG: Scribes should be properly kitted while covering demos

Journalists occupy a special place in our society. It is because of journalists that the general populace is constantly updated on the happenings both locally and internationally. Without journalists we would not be in a position to get factual and timely news of happenings around us and around the world.

The reason why I am paying a particular attention to “factual and timely news” is because with the advent of social media and digital transformation of news coverage, proliferation and peddling of “fake news” has been on the upward trajectory. Professional journalists thus act as the main source of factual news safeguarding society from manipulation.

The scribes do not cover these events at the comfort of the newsrooms or from some safe haven, they are often times forced to wade into dangerous conflict zones to cover those events.

By taking risk to relay news from hostile environments, the importance of press coverage of armed conflicts and crises cannot be overstated. By gathering and disseminating reliable information about armed conflicts, tragedies, unrests, and more, journalists carry out a crucial mission of public interest.

It is often thanks to journalists that serious human rights violations, war crimes, and other atrocities are brought to the attention of the public and of decision makers. By going where others do not go, by interviewing people, verifying facts, getting the news out, they lay out the situation before our eyes.

Sometimes journalists covering conflicts have also helped courts obtain crucial evidence to hold war criminals to account. Their work can therefore document crimes, help to uphold human rights, establish accountability and foster international solidarity.

The general trend, however, is towards the deterioration of the working conditions of journalists in periods of in unsafe environments. This poses danger to the reporters who need to take extra precaution while covering violent protests, unrests and armed conflict.

Under Article 79 of Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, which codifies a customary rule, journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and protected as such, provided they play no part in the hostilities.

The safety of reporters should thus be of utmost concern to all and sundry. Personal safety in an environment that poses a threat to the life of a reporter is a primary concern as it has direct correlation with the quality of reportage and the depths a reporter is willing to go to gather news.

Journalists may encounter armed conflicts, civil unrest, or even targeted attacks due to their reporting. Overcoming this challenge requires implementing robust security measures, such as personal protective equipment, situational awareness and close coordination with security personnel or local authorities

I am, therefore, concerned with the way our journalists kit themselves while covering news in hostile environments. Take for example the recent protests by the opposition. It was not easy to differentiate a journalist from ordinary bystander or protester. This to me was a serious blunder by some journalists.

The mere fact that one is holding a camera or a microphone is not enough for one to be recognised from far as journalist. The reporters gathering news from a hostile environment must at all the time be properly kitted with safety gears and clothes that are easily recognisable from a distance.

In a conflict zone, the most immediate risk to a journalist is physical threats. Stray bullets could target a journalist. Stones and crude weapons could also harm journalists. It is necessary that journalists take safety precautions by always wearing protective equipment in addition to fully understanding the environment they are operating from.

Depending on the area of operation a journalist should be fully equipped with gear appropriate to the situation. In extreme circumstances, this could involve wearing hazmat suits, carrying detectors, or ingesting oral tablets to block or act against possible biological, chemical, or nuclear agents.

In combat zones, it would involve wearing body armour rated to withstand shrapnel and high-powered bullets. In cases of street clashes or violence, it could mean wearing an inconspicuous anti-stab vest. Journalists requiring body armour should choose a vest according to the expected threat.

Apart from the threat of physical bodily harm that journalists have to grapple with on a daily basis, digital safety is a major concern too. There are incidences where reporters have been robbed of their equipment or their devices destroyed. In some bizarre circumstances the news footage in their cameras have been deleted as a strategy to prevent truth from going out.

Everything in conflict reporting is about risk, and accepting and minimising is paramount. By preparing for risk, analysing potential threats and being prepared to make safety decisions in the heat of the moment, journalists can if not completely ensure safety at least be best prepared for the uncertainties of reporting in a hostile environment.

 

The writer is MDG party leader and Ugenya MP