Covering Violence & Trauma

The Canadian Journalism Project

The Canadian Journalism Project: March 2011
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Ivory Coast journalists caught in the crossfire
March 28, 2011 - Posted by Heather McCall
Journalists working in the Ivory Coast capital Adidjan are finding themselves trapped between two sides of a looming civil war. ProjetJ reporter Anne Caroline Desplanques spoke with Stéphane Goué, a freelance journalist and president of the country's Committee to Protect Journalists, about the threats he and his fellow journalists are experiencing.

"None of us thought we were going to live": kidnapped NYT journos
March 23, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
Four recently-kidnapped New York Times journalists tell their harrowing tale.

Reporting evacuation: rule evasion or evolution?
March 30, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
In these days of SEO-friendly headlines, long-standing language rules are often ignored -- like the one that says you can evacuate places, but not people. Judy Maddren, former CBC grammar guru, sets the record straight.

Libya releases detained New York Times journos
March 21, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
Six days ago, four New York Times journalists were reported missing. It was later learned that the four were detained by the Libyan government. They were released today under the expectation that they leave the country within hours, VOA News reports. Other journalists, including two reporters and a photographer from French news agency AFP, remain missing.

Japan coverage lacks planning, perspective, focus
March 21, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
To combat the sensational and context-less tendencies of 24-hour live coverage, news organizations should implement disaster coverage strategies ahead of time, Tim Goodman writes for The San Franscisco Chronicle, adding that most American reporting of Japan's trio of disasters lacks context and basic reporting skills.

The Japan Disaster: Journalists piling on
March 30, 2011 - Posted by Claude Adams
Japan is a heart-breaking human story, and the images from the disaster zones have been extraordinary. But is this story really better served by having thousands of foreign journalists on the scene, journalists who are themselves at risk of psychological trauma, radiation poisoning or worse? Claude Adams has a first-person perspective on how, and why we cover disasters.

Four New York Times journos missing in Libya
March 21, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
Four New York Times correspondents in Libya have failed to check in with the paper since Tuesday morning and are considered missing. CNN notes that NYT editors received secondhand info that reporters were "swept up by Libyan government forces."

Poynter notes that two of the journalists have been kidnapped previously. Reporters Without Borders notes that journalits are facing an increasing risk of abduction, with 51 journalist kidnappings in 2010 compared to 33 in 2009 and 29 in 2008. Most recently, dozens of journalists were attacked in Egypt. Update: Libya's government has released the four NYT journalists after holding them for six days. Other journalists remain missing or detained.

Canadian journalists in Japan: at risk?
March 16, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
Canadian media editors are keeping close tabs on the radiation risks to their staff in Japan. Cliff Lonsdale reports.

Radio France to withdraw reporters from Japan over radiation concerns
March 15, 2011 - Posted by Dana Lacey
Radio France has decided to withdraw reporters that are covering Japan's earthquake because of concerns over radiation from a series of nuclear accidents, Kyodo reports.

Mother. Journalist. What it's like when the tables are turned
March 15, 2011 - Posted by Alexandra Bosanac
Two years ago, journalism professor Janice Neil was suddenly thrust into the middle of a harrowing incident, the near-death of her son. It was a big story, but nobody got the narrative right: the long grind of court process meant reporters weren't always there to catch the facts. Neil, J-Source editor-in-chief, asks: Can court reporting provide anything other than a distorted view of the truth?