Veering off course
Important FYI: For the sake of my sanity, taxis have absolutely nothing to do with this post.
“Is it over for frontline reporting?” – That was the subject of the panel discussion I attended last night. The event was hosted by the London-based Frontline Club, a unique media club that combines “eating, drinking, and thinking.” While I was studying journalism at City University in London, England, I attended Frontline club events almost religiously and was privy to relevant discussions led by journalists from all over the world. When I heard that the club was hosting an event in New York, I knew I had to be there – especially considering one of my favorite City profs would be moderating the discussion.
Thanks to my Professor John Owen (NewsExchange), I had the opportunity to chat with Chuck Lustig (ABC), Robert Fisk (Independent), Ron Haviv (VII Photo Agency), Francesca Unsworth (BBC), and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (The Guardian) before they took their seats on the panel. During the panel discussion, the journalists debated the pros and cons of embedded reporting, the use of freelance reporters, the difficulties in budgeting and prioritizing for foreign bureaus, the issue of access etc.
One of the most interesting questions raised was how to best utilize local journalists in place of parachuting foreign correspondents into a given region. The bottom line appeared to be that while embedded reporting is not ideal, it’s better than nothing and should be supplemented with in-depth local journalism whenever possible. With the Iraq war as the back drop, the discussion became heated in no time, with the big media (ABC/BBC) being forced to justify their approach to covering the war. One thing that annoyed me was the fact that many people in the audience had such an aversion to admitting that media is business, and yes, ratings do matter when it comes to setting the agenda.
In true Frontline spirit, the discussion was extremely engaging and informative. Check out their site at http://www.frontlineclub.com/index.php to see when the club will be hosting their next event in New York – I can promise that it will be more than worth your time and energy.
When did you study at City University of London? I was accepted there and intended to go for grad school before being advised by several journalists that NYU would be much better for my career. I just wanted to be in London and thought that maybe that desire wasn’t enough to justify the expense. I don’t know if I made the right decision.