On the New York Frontline

Some feedback coming through from the recent Is it over for Frontline Reporting? Frontline Club event in Brooklyn, New York including this from Hell’s Kitchener about what Robert Fisk had to say during the panel,

“The New York Times actually lives in a fortress with Iraqi guards with ‘New York Times’ on their t-shirts,” Fisk said, “And while I don’t object that reporters have to live this way, I do object that they don’t tell you that they have these restrictions upon them. Fisk further contended that reporters embedded with troops are not able to tell their readers the full story, and railed against what he called, “hotel journalism.” “You might as well sit in Denver with a mobile phone and ring the mayor of Mosul as do it from the Baghdad Green Zone,” he said…
…I cannot think of a single story I wrote which changed anything,” he uttered. In response, a solitary voice protested, “Robert you’ve inspired many!”
After the discussion ended, a throng of admirers surrounded Fisk. Later, as he made his way toward the exit, two young women stopped him. They told him briefly of the profound effect his work had on their lives. As he thanked them for their kind words, Robert Fisk, the war-hardened, contentious foreign correspondent, shed a tear. link

And this from Fare Exchange,

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. link