First Wednesday

At this month’s First Wednesday media safety consultant Christopher Cobb-Smith will discuss his recent investigation into the murder of 32 journalists and media workers in the Philippines. The politically-motivated murders added significantly to the number of journalists and media workers who died in 2009. Rodney Pinder of the International News Safety Institute will discuss journalists’ safety following a year when 131 journalists or media workers were killed, making it one of the worst tolls on record.

In the second half of the evening the discussion will turn to Yemen: Why has the country become a fertile ground for al-Qaeda and what are the implications of the renewed focus on the country in the wake of the failed attempt to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight over Detroit last month.

Panel: Ginny Hill, Journalist, Yemen expert and author of Chatham House briefing paper, Yemen: Fear of Failure; Victoria Clark, former Observer correspondent and author of Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes; Abdallah Homouda, Journalist and Yemen specialist.

With: Paddy O’Connell, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.