Latest From the Frontline

Journalists still can’t get into Gaza. The Israeli government have banned media access to the war torn strip. The result for foreign reporters, on the 11th day of this war, is that hundreds of them sit at border points waiting to be granted access by Israeli authorities. The ban flies in the face of a Supreme Court ruling to grant access to the media. In addition, the Foreign Press Association is worried this is putting undue pressure on Palestinian reporters in Gaza.

Unlike any war in Israel’s history, in this one the government is seeking to entirely control the message and narrative for reasons both of politics and military strategy.

“This is the result of what happened in the 2006 Lebanon war against Hezbollah,” said Nachman Shai, a former army spokesman who is writing a doctoral dissertation on Israel’s public diplomacy. “Then, the media were everywhere. Their cameras and tapes picked up discussions between commanders. People talked on live television. It helped the enemy and confused and destabilized the home front. Today, Israel is trying to control the information much more closely.” link

In related news, an Iranian TV journalist was arrested in Israel on Monday for “[violating] military censorship laws which forbade the news media from releasing information during the initial stages of the ground incursion.” The ‘propaganda war’ is one reason why some people are turning to alternative sources of information, as summed up by Frontline blogger Daniel Bennett.

Raed Atharmneh works as a fixer in the Gaza strip. Al Jazeera put together a documentary about him in 2007. It’s a timely reminder of the work of fixers and journalists in Gaza at a time when many media outlets can’t even access Gaza to report on the war. You can watch part one above and part two below,

Foreign reporters in conflict zones often rely on local ‘fixers’ – people who earn a living helping journalists get their stories. Raed Atharmneh is a fixer living and working in the Gaza Strip.

Filmmaker George Azar chose to film Raed’s daily life as he works to provide for 42 clan members. It was supposed to be a straightforward story.

But Raed’s world was about to be turned upside down by a terrible event which put Raed – albeit very briefly - at the very centre of international media attention. link

The Zimbabwe government has announced new restrictive measures for media workers working with foreign news organisations. It will cost up to US$4 000 to practice journalism in Zimbabwe for one year, according to a report in The Zimbabwe Times. Here is a list of the new fees announced by the Media and Information Commission, now renamed the Zimbabwe Media Commission,

* Zimbabwean journalists must pay Z$1 million and Z$3 million for an application and one-year accreditation, respectively.
* Local free-lance journalists must pay Z$1, 5 million for one-year accreditation.
* Local journalists working for foreign media organizations must pay US$1 000 and US$3 000 for an application and one-year accreditation, respectively.
* Foreign journalists intending to work temporarily in Zimbabwe are required to pay US$500 and US$1 000 for application and accreditation, respectively.
* Local media owners must pay an application fee of Z$5 billion and an accreditation fee of Z$20 billion.
* Foreign media houses must pay US$10 000 for the application and US$20 000 for accreditation, payable only in foreign currency. There is also a complimentary permit administration fee pegged at US$2 000.
For local journalists working for local media, the penalty for late renewal of accreditation will be Z$100 000 per day while the penalty for late renewal for registration has been pegged at Z$500 000 per day. link

A number of journalists and foreign news outlets, like the BBC, are barred from reporting from Zimbabwe and many reporters go in as tourists. All of which may mean the queue for accreditation at the shiny new Zimbabwe Media Commission might be a short one.

Colin Freeman talks on the Daily Telegraph today about his kidnap experience in Somalia. He sounds in good spirits as he discusses being a free man again after his six week ordeal. He’s looking forward to a decent pint and trying to give up the smoking habit he picked up in the caves of Somalia,

I lit a cigarette – a habit I was supposed to have given up 16 years ago – and inhaled deeply, thinking happily about home, my family, my girlfriend and - most importantly - a strong pint of lager. Three hours later, we were bumping along the runway at Boosaaso airport, and our wheels left the Somali ground. We were airborne. After 40 days and 40 nights in the Somali mountains, we were finally free. link

The Daily Telegraph have slashed their stringer rates by around 40% for freelance foreign correspondents to £60 for news stories up to 400 words. Longer articles have a different rate. In addition, regular stringers will find their monthly retainers either reduced or cut entirely. Others will receive an annual lump sum. The Guardian reports this is part of the Telegraph’s editorial budget cuts which made 50 hacks redundant before Christmas, 2008. The Telegraph has axed much of the foreign desk since 2005 - 2006. In fact, what’s left of The Telegraph foreign desk these days?

Two journalists were among seven killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Government Polytechnic College in Dera Ismail Khan in northern Pakistan yesterday,

The suicide bomber struck when police and forensic experts were collecting evidence after cordoning off the area around the teashop. Officials said the head and legs of a man aged 21-23 years had been found and he might have been the suicide bomber. The two journalists who lost their lives are Mohammad Imran and Dr Tahir Awan of local dailies Eitedal and Apna Akhbar. link

Colin Freeman, a journalist with the Daily Telegraph (on the right on the picture above), and José Cendón, a freelance photographer, were set free today after being kidnapped in Somalia some six weeks ago on November 26, 2008 while reporting on piracy in Bosasso,

“The two journalists are free after their ordeals,” said the head of Puntland police, Abdullahi Said Samatar. “They’re taking some rest now and they will be available later. I’m happy to see them recovering their freedom.” link

The release was confirmed by the Spanish government in Madrid, whose ambassador to Kenya was en route to Puntland from Nairobi.

We previously reported on the abductions back in November, but agreed to pull coverage after discussions with those involved in negotiations with the kidnappers. The decision to pull posts I previously published about Colin Freeman and Jose Cendon wasn’t made easily especially after our previous discussion about the Mellissa Fung kidnap case in Afghanistan.

The ongoing saga of freelancers Amanda Lindhout, Nigel Brennan and Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi is always in the back of my mind when linking to these stories. Are freelancers, like Lindhout and Brennan, always at far more risk than their staffer colleagues?

No doubt this is something Sean Langan, Channel 4 journalist, Frontline Club member and recent kidnap victim, will be discussing at the Frontline Club at the end of January. I will be at the event on January 30 and hope to report on Sean’s kidnap in full.

UPDATE: The Daily Telegraph has more,

“We’re absolutely fine and delighted to be out. We’ve absolutely no problems at all ether physically or mentally… We survived on rice, goat meat and Rothmans,” said Freeman. “I gave up smoking in 1992 and somehow decided now would be a good time to start up again.” link via Press Gazette Twitter.

Photo from the Daily Telegraph.

Hassan Mayow, a Shabelle radio correspondent in Somalia, was shot dead when he was caught in the crossfire between two groups armed with AK-47s in Afgoi some 30km west of Mogadishu on New Year’s Day,

“Hassan was one of the nimble correspondents of Shabelle radio and was very sincere for his task of Journalism, we pray for him to rest in eternal peace in the hereafter amen” said the director of Shabelle Hirabe speaking to Somaliweyn deputy director Said Abraham Buuna after the death of the stringer was announced. link

Meanwhile the National Union of Somali Journalists release their annual report (pdf download link) on the state of journalism in Somalia

UPDATE: The Committee to Protect Journalists has received reports that Mayow was killed by a government soldier,

The three local journalists interviewed today by CPJ offered a different account. These journalists said they spoke with witnesses who reported that soldiers stopped Hassan in Afgoye, a town 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Mogadishu, and accused him of collaborating with Islamic insurgent groups. One journalist said witnesses were able to name the soldier who shot Hassan. Earlier Thursday morning, Hassan had aired a report on Radio Shabelle that described civilians fleeing violence in Mogadishu, a station editor, Abdi Nasir, told CPJ. Local journalists told CPJ that Hassan had produced critical stories about the army’s harassment of civilians in the area. link

Picture taken from Shabelle.net

In seasonal quiz news for foreign correspondents… How many countries can you name? I had three attempts, the best result I managed was my first attempt - a pretty pathetic 74 out of a possible 195. Happy new year one and all. If you’re finding the time limit’s a wee bit tight on this game, try an alternative.

Marcus Bleasdale, photojournalist, Frontline Club member and regular on this blog, talks in the Daily Telegraph about how he got into photojournalism in his late twenties after a successful career in banking. Fascinating to hear more about his path into photography and how working the war zone beat has changed him. What with the banking sector dissolving in a acid bath of bad debt, I do wonder how many other bankers are inspired after reading about Marcus’s change of direction,

On one occasion he saw 16 child­ren under two shot dead. ‘It’s not easy to come back from Congo and fit back into normal life,’ he says. Otherwise, it is the camaraderie of banking that he misses most. ‘You get it if you hit a war zone and everyone is there together and you meet everybody in the bar in the evening. But the life of a journalist is quite lonely.’ link