Kidnap and the media: blackouts, risks and strategies for reporters on the frontline

It’s every reporter’s worst fear: to be taken hostage by a hostile group with political aims. But in today’s volatile world it is a harsh reality foreign correspondents face daily.

This off-the-record discussion will examine the various strategies media organisations follow when the worst happens: when is a media blackout the best policy? What risks do freelance journalists face without the resources of a news organisation and the right insurance?

We’ll examine this and more with John Chase director of AKE’s Crisis Management team, freelance journalist Sean Langan, International News Safety Institute director Rodney Pinder and Jonathan Baker, deputy head of newsgathering at BBC News, who was recently appointed head of the BBC College of Journalism. Moderated by Deborah Haynes, defence editor for The Times and previously the only British newspaper journalist to be permenently based in Baghdad.

Photo credit: Redvers, via Flickr