From the Frontline

Freed from Somalia

2009-11-26T13:34:06Z

Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan are finally free and in Kenya after being held hostage in Somalia for over one year. The duo were snatched on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. It's a story we have followed very closely since day one,

"I'm so happy to be free; it feels like a dream," Canadian Amanda Lindhout said. Her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan said he was still "in shock" link

We catalogued the story in the graphic above and on this post - which I'm glad to say I can finally stop editing. And I know those Frontlne bloggers who have worked in Somalia - namely Alex, David and Rob - all kept a close eye on developments and contacted their sources on the ground to see what, if anything, they could find out.

Rob Crilly gives an excellent overview of the unique risks of working in Somalia. These risks multiply exponentially if you work as a freelance. This is an issue we have covered before and no doubt will again.

It's fantastic to hear Amanda and Nigel have been released and may their story be a lesson to anyone else thinking of heading into Somalia.

But let us not forget that Beverly Geisbrecht, another Canadian freelance journalist, who was kidnapped a year ago this month, remains held somewhere along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

Petition to release journalists held in Somalia

2009-10-28T05:51:58Z

A group of six Canadian media organisations have banded together to petition the Canadian government and help raise awareness of the kidnap of freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan in Somalia over one year ago,

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is launching a campaign, joined by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Canadian Media Guild (CMG), the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada and PEN Canada (NEPMCC), asking the federal government to do everything in its power to bring home Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan. link

CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch is careful to note that this new petition is not about media attention,

"is about personal action. Media attention could jeopardise the safety of Amanda and Nigel" link

This petition follows on from an earlier petition which, according to one commenter who appears to have created the petition, has kind of lost steam.

Amanda Lindhout is not the only Canadian freelance journalist being held against her will. Beverly Giesbrecht was kidnapped in the region between Pakistan and Afghanistan in November, 2008. She is still being held.

We've followed this kidnap story very closely since August 23, 2008 when the duo were captured, reportedly on the outskirts of Mogadishu a they were heading to an refugee camp. You can see the timeline of events in the graphic above.

If you'd like to add this constantly updated graphic to your website, blog or social networking site please go to Frontline Club on Dipity and grab the "embed widget" and follow the instructions for embedding into your site. Meanwhile here are the contents of the petition letter,

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the friends, supporters and colleagues of Amanda Lindhout, join with the undersigned organisations to ask the Canadian government to make it a top priority to work for the immediate and unconditional release of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan.

The two journalists have been held in captivity in Somalia for over a year. We urge you to commit full governmental support and resources to work with Amanda’s and Nigel’s families to bring them home. A year is too long – efforts must be redoubled.

Please do everything in your power to bring Amanda home to Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
Canadian Media Guild (CMG)
National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)
PEN Canada link

Kidnapped journalists in Somalia moved

2009-10-21T06:46:37Z

Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, the two freelance journalists who were kidnapped well over one year ago on the outskirts of Mogadishu, have been moved "for security reasons" according to reports coming out of Somalia,

"It is true that Lindhout and Brennan are not in Mogadishu," said [Ambroise Pierre, head of the Africa desk for Reporters Without Borders] "They were not moved several times; they were moved once. Exactly where, we cannot say."
"They moved from the city for security reasons," said [Dahir Abdulle Alasow, who runs a Somali news website and the Associated Somali Journalists], in an e-mail from Belgium. "The kidnapper's chief . . . told one of my colleagues that the Canadian government used what he called GPS and, after the air attack of Saleh Nabhan, they decided to move." link

This is the first news of the kidnapped duo that I have come across for at least two months.

From the Frontline to Kigali

2009-10-01T05:51:07Z

Former foreign correspondent Thomas Crampton talks to Eric Weiner, another former foreign correspondent, about his thoughts on the 10 career options left for foreign correspondents. As media giants crumble and budgets for "the old way of doing things" no longer exist it's a timely (and funny) 10 minute chat. I'm guessing option number 5 - "Public Relations" is proving to be the most popular for all journalists, not just foreign correspondents, purely for economic reasons, but...

"Deep down, in your heart of hearts, you know, you're just a flack" link

However, after several years of media training for the Frontline Club, the BBC, Al Jazeera and others, it looks as if I'm heading yet deeper towards two of the other options. Firstly, option number 4 - "The Professor".

I won't quite be a professor, but I will be training Rwandan journalists here in Kigali, where I moved with my family one month ago. I'll be trying to impart a little of what I know and hopefully learn a fair bit of what they know about journalism.

I'll be working part-time on a USAID funded programme in association with the Rwanda Initiative, a Canadian media NGO based in the Rwandan capital. I'll have around 5-8 journalists per month, from radio, newspaper and TV, and I hope to learn a bit about what they do, how they work and where they work.

This shouldn't take up more than a day or two per week, which leaves me plenty of time to desk-based research work, schedule training overseas with a little left over for option number 10 - "Digital".

I've handed over the bulk of the online end of Frontlineclub.com to the very able Charlotte Cook. And finally, instead of writing about journalists working on the frontline, I get to be one. Almost. I'll be blogging for Frontline about life in Rwanda and I'll be launching my Kigali Wire news/blog site in a week or so

You can follow me on Twitter @kigaliwire and if you're really keen (and you've read this far) you can learn about the process behind building Kigali Wire which will possibly form part of the training I'll be doing here in Rwanda.

Press accreditation in Rwanda currently costs $1,000 per year for foreign journalists, but it looks like the fee might come down to a more freelance friendly $300 in the near future. As and when it does, I'll look at getting accredited and adding a bit of Eric Weiner's option number 1 - "The Journeyman" - to my portfolio of jobs.

So, please stay tuned. And, if you're passing through Kigail - do let me know.

Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan still kidnapped one year on

2009-08-22T08:16:37Z

One year ago today, freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan were kidnapped on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The duo are reportedly being held in poor conditions, are in bad health and there is no indication that a release date is any closer one year on. Their Somali colleagues were released in January, 2009. The parents of the two journalists have released a joint statement to mark the one year anniversary,

"Together, the two families continue to work tirelessly to secure Nigel’s and Amanda’s safe release. With little outside support, the families, who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal, continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel. Our thoughts and all our love are with Amanda and Nigel, today, just as they have been for the past 365 days, and just as they will be until they are safely home with us.

In issuing this brief joint statement the families hope that the media will respect their wishes to be left alone during this particularly emotional time.” link

We continue to update the timeline as and when reports of the kidnapping are published and we feed these reports into the Dipity interactive timeline you can see above. Dipity have very kindly agreed to feature the timeline on their homepage to mark the anniversary.

What about Ibrahim Jassam?

2009-08-05T12:29:48Z

Current.tv journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are about to arrive in California after spending 140 days in a North Korean prison having been convicted of committing "hostile acts". The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned the duo after a surprise visit by Bill Clinton. You can watch the arrival of the two journalists live on CNN.com - if you tune in right now... Current.tv founder Al Gore released a statement about the release of Ling and Lee,

Current Media journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who have been detained in North Korea since March 17th, will be coming home on Wednesday morning with former President Bill Clinton, who is at this moment returning from North Korea having obtained their release.

We want to thank the Obama Administration for its continuous and determined efforts to achieve this outcome, and President Clinton for his willingness to undertake this mission.

All of us at Current are overjoyed at Laura and Euna's safe return. Our hearts go out to them – and to their families – for persevering through this horrible experience.

We will have more to say in the days and weeks ahead. But for now, all our thoughts are with Laura and Euna and their families, who have shown remarkable courage and initiative for the 140 days of this ordeal.

Al Gore and Joel Hyatt
Co-Founders
Current Media link

Great news that the two have been released, but what about Reuters cameraman Ibrahim Jassam? He's still being detained by U.S. miltary in Iraq after almost a year. Just look at the amount of attention his case has received in the past four weeks in comparison to the North Korea story,

And ~~while I dont want to be too cynical, but~~ how would the U.S. government have reacted if, say, a North Korean hack was found crossing the U.S. border illegally? Or, how about if an Iranian journalist had been found in the possession of confidential U.S. government documents? like Roxanna Saberi in Tehran.

I wonder how ready the U.S. government would be to pardon them? And I wonder how few times the name Ibrahim Jassam appears in and on U.S. media sites during this release fenzy. I'm watching the CNN live feed and I've yet to hear the name mentioned once, but I live in ~~completely iditiotic naive~~ hope

Photo taken by Reuters.

Amanda Lindhout in TV plea

2009-08-04T07:53:16Z

Amanda Lindhout, the Canadian journalist kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has reportedly made a plea over the telephone to Omni TV. The heart wrenching plea was broadcast earlier today in Ontario. Lindhout complains of stomach problems, dentistry issues and is worried she may die of illness or be killed by her captives. The kidnappers are thought to be demanding a ransom of between $1 - $1.5 million.

The mother of fellow kidnap victim, Australian freelance photographer Nigel Brennan, recently spoke out in frustration with the lack of progress in the kidnapping case. The duo will mark a full year in captivity on August 23.

Australian PM meets mother of kidnapped journalist

2009-07-23T14:13:45Z

The mother of Nigel Brennan, the freelance photojournalist who was kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. According to Sky News Heather Brennan made an unexpected approach to Rudd when she approached the PM as he was visiting Queensland today. She spoke with him for twenty minutes,

"These are difficult, sensitive and complex negotiations... (said Rudd) ...If I was to look at the consular cases upon which I have spent the most time since I've been prime minister, it is this one,' he said. 'It is one which the government takes seriously, but I do not underestimate the degree of difficulty involved in this. It is very hard." link

Meanwhile friends of Nigel Brennan are seriously worried about his health following reports in May and a recent telephone conversation with the kidnap victim,

Family friend Rebecca Hutchins urged the media to give attention to the case. 'He is really very, very unwell,' Ms Hutchins said. 'I think mentally he would be in a very dark place and emotionally. Physically that is where the problem is at the moment. He is not well.' The family spoke to Mr Brennan as recently as Wednesday. link

Please consider taking two minutes to sign the petition to help both Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout who was kidnapped along with Nigel in August, 2008. And link to the petition if you have a blog, twitter account, website or email account.

Image taken from ABC Local News website.

French journalists kidnapped in Mogadishu

2009-07-14T06:29:37Z

Two French journalists were kidnapped in the Somali capital Mogadishu this morning. Gunmen snatched the duo from the Sahafi Hotel (pictured above) where most journalists stay when visiting. I'll add more to this post as and when I get information,

Somali gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital Mogadishu and grabbed two French journalists on Tuesday, a hotel worker said.
"Several gunmen entered the Sahafi Hotel, pointed guns at the guards and went into the hotel rooms where they took away the two French nationals," the hotel manager who declined to give name told Reuters.
"The two males told me they were journalists," he added. (Reporting by Abdi Guled; Writing by Wangui Kanina) link originally via a BreakingNews Twitter tip off.

UPDATE: From BBC News,

(10) Gunmen wearing Somali police uniforms turned up at the guest house, seized the two reporters and took them in a vehicle towards a part of the city run by insurgents, said witnesses. link

UPDATE: Reuters is reporting the two "journalists" are in fact security consultants posing as journalists,

A government official, who asked not to be named, said the two French men had been posing as reporters for their own protection.
"They were security consultants who arrived in Somalia to train State House security guards, not journalists," the official said...
... It was not immediately clear who had taken the men, but a pro-government Islamist militia blamed dissident troops.
"Government soldiers who have mutinied were involved in kidnapping the two French citizens," militia spokesman Abdirisak Qeylow told Reuters.
"Negotiation is under way for their release. Maybe they are demanding ransom, I don't know the exact amount. But we are doing our best for them to be released soon." link

The Telegraph's Colin Freeman and photographer José Cendón were kidnapped and held for six weeks earlier this year. Meanwhile, freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan after still being held hostage after being kidnapped in Mogadishu in August, 2008. Their driver and fixer were released in January, 2009. This new kidnap comes at a time of "fresh fighting" in the north of Mogadishu, although one could argue fighting never really gets the time to go stale in Mogadishu...

Photo of the Sahafi Hotel by Garas Balley

How can they protect us?

2009-07-08T11:48:54Z

The Red Cross and the UK Foreign Office launched a campaign this week looking at the Geneva Conventions some 60 years on. Of particular interest to Frontline Club members and blog readers is the question of how to protect of journalists,

It is important that the media are able to report the true picture of a conflict situation. But this often involves journalists putting themselves in dangerous situations.
The Geneva Conventions already clearly define the protection journalists are entitled to in their capacity as civilians within the conflict. This was re-emphasised in the First Additional Protocol of 1977.
But how can we ensure that journalists are protected? link

Photo: Protest against abduction and assault of journalist Keith Noyahr taken by Free Media Movement.

Help Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan

2009-07-07T10:15:44Z

Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan remain hostages in Somalia almost one year since they were nabbed on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. Despite reports of them both being in a very bad health and of Lindhout reportedly being pregnant, it appears the Australian and Canadian governments refuse to cough up ~~the, by now, pretty pathetic ransom amount of~~ ~~$100,000~~.

Three days ago I posted a link to an online petition on the @frontlineblog twitter account to help put pressure on the two governments to do something. Now, I'm not the biggest believer in online petitions - in fact I'm a complete cynic - but with few other options left to pressure the authorities into paying - and it is only by paying that they will be released - it's worth pushing the petition if it can reach its goal of 5,000 signatures.

Unfortunately, if the statistics above are anything to go by, plenty of people have clicked through to the petition link, yet few have bothered to sign it. Less than 50 additional signatures have been added since I posted the link, yet nearly 3,000 people clicked the link. This is a gentle nudge to sign. You just never know, 5,000+ signatures might just help.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, opinions about paying kidnappers in this case are my own, not those of the Frontline Club. Money, and little else, talks in Somalia... In my opinion.

What's really happening

2009-07-03T13:55:23Z

Ex-SAS man and best selling novelist Andy McNabb had some nice things to say about the Frontline Club website and the bloggers who blog here in the latest edition of New Media Age this week. Thanks to Club member Peter Moore for pointing this out to us on Twitter and uploading the above snap from NMA. Note to Andy: to get more out of the site, may I gently nudge you in the direction of the frontlineblog on Twitter, much of which eventually arrives in the top right hand box on the Frontline Club News page.

Live tonight - Gillian Tett on the credit crisis

2009-07-01T13:50:16Z

We'll be discussing the credit crisis, financial journalism and scaremongering with Financial Times Assistant editor and journalist of the year Gillian Tett at the Frontline Club tonight. Gillian will be in discussion with BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders. We start at 7.30pm GMT and as usual we'll be streaming the event live above and on our new Livestation channel where we will also be fielding questions from viewers, so please join in. And don't forget to download the Livestation software to watch in great quality on your PC or fed through to your TV,

When she picked up her prize for journalist of the year at the British Press Awards recently, the Financial Times’ Gillian Tett claimed the accolade was a vindication for “the geeks” and “anoraks”. The assistant editor of the Financial Times has been documenting the rise of credit derivatives banking since she was appointed in 2005 to cover the the rather unglamorous capital markets patch. But it was only after the full consequences of the risks bankers had been taking became so catastrophically apparent that Gillian Tett was promoted from “geek” to luminary, regularly making appearances on TV and radio. link

Live tonight - Reporting Iran

2009-06-30T09:24:55Z

We'll be discussing the situation in Iran following the disputed election results at the Frontline Club tonight. Specifically, how did hotel-bound foreign journalists report from Tehran and beyond during the election and days and weeks following? We start at 7pm GMT and as usual if you can't join us in person please come and join us on the Frontline Club broadcast channel or on the Club events page where we will be streaming the discussion. In addition, we now partner Livestation and we will be broadcasting the event with them. To try out Livestation, which gives better quality audio and video than our usual channel and allows a greater degree of interaction, you'll need to download the software to your PC/Mac.

Joining us will be Channel 4 News International editor Lindsey Hilsum, Behrouz Afagh, head of the Asia & Pacific Region for the BBC World Service, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, one of the last US network journalists to leave Iran and The Times journalist Marie Colvin.

Get back alive

2009-06-30T08:47:34Z

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has "been around the block a few times" and is offering advice to would be foreign correspondents on how to report on a global crisis for YouTube's Reporters Center. The centre aims to give advice to newbies and non-journalists,

The YouTube Reporters' Center is a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news. It features some of the nation's top journalists and news organizations sharing instructional videos with tips and advice for better reporting. link

As for Kristoff's first tip? The clue's in the title of this post.