John Maxwell Hamilton, former foreign correspondent and currently the dean of journalism at Louisiana State University, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss the impact of embedded journalists and how recent coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan compares to coverage of past wars.

Hamilton, who is also the author of “Journalism’s Roving Eye: A History of American Foreign Reporting,” explains the current state of foreign reporting by U.S. media.

Worldfocus correspondent Mark Litke and producer Ara Ayer report from the Philippines on the risks some reporters face in doing their jobs.

For more on Worldfocus’ coverage of the Philippines, click here.

The Committee to Protect Journalists — in a report out on Tuesday — says 17 editors, reporters, photographers, columnists and a publisher have been killed since 2000. In only one case have the killers been convicted. The CPJ says critical media coverage is effectively silencing discussion on sensitive subjects like corruption and human rights abuses.

Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss how the murders have impacted Russian journalism and the rise of online journalism in places like Cuba and Vietnam.

As Afghanistan prepared for this highly anticipated election last week, former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah emerged as a legitimate threat to incumbent President Hamid Karzai – who has fallen out of favor with many Afghans, as well as Western leaders — and news media portrayed a run-off election as plausible.

But as results trickle in from last Thursday’s vote, in which some 7 million ballots were cast, the outcome remains unclear. Images of inked Afghan fingers gave way to claims of widespread fraud and intimidation. As the vote count continues, reports on the results have been contradictory.

For the full results of last week’s News Hunt, read their blog summarizing media coverage, check out the top rated stories and browse a full listing of all stories posted on the topic.

Explore our complete coverage of the election and war in Afghanistan.

North Korea has sentenced American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years in a labor camp.

Earlier this week, North Korea sentenced two U.S. journalists to 12 years in a labor camp after they were convicted of illegal entry and crimes against the nation. Worldfocus anchor Martin Savidge writes that the U.S. is in a precarious position as it tries to ensure the journalists’ safe return while pressing North Korea on nuclear containment.

First off, if you can predict North Korea, then you are not an expert — you are divine.

That said, here goes. It is my sincere hope Laura Ling and Euna Lee will be back with their families ASAP. But I fear it could be some time — months, perhaps years. The North Koreans know they have something the U.S. wants. Also, North Korea has just begun what could be a difficult transition of power from father to third son. They don’t want reporters snooping around.

As long as North Korea holds the pair, they hold an edge over the U.S. and send a strong message to other journalists. The U.S. must disconnect the issue of journalist imprisonment from the larger issue of nuclear containment. Good luck on that…North Korea always feels like the Rodney Dangerfield of the world when it comes to respect.

So the U.S. needs to send an envoy. It’s got to be somebody well known, especially to them, but not a government official. Al Gore is the obvious choice. He’s known, he’s a civilian and he represents the company the journalists were working for when they were on assignment. Like any negotiation, North Korea will want something in return. There’s the rub for the U.S., which would prefer to punish the regime even more.

Truth is, the journalist capture and conviction couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Obama team has seen that the previous policy of carrot and stick used by the Clinton and Bush administrations didn’t work. Now they’d like to use more stick…but how likely are you to board a suspect North Korean ship carrying weapons or nuclear technology when they hold two Americans hostage?

Is North Korea America’s biggest problem now? No, that dubious honor still rests with the economy. But North Korea would like us to think they are our biggest problem. They love brinkmanship. They also, it seems, like nukes — and I’m not sure you are going to get them to give those up. It’s that respect thing again. The U.S. needs to defuse the problem by taking it out of the headlines and by opening the quiet and obscure channels of negotiation.

- Martin Savidge

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Steve Rhodes under a Creative Commons license.

Deborah Bonello is a multimedia journalist based in Mexico City who works for The Los Angeles Times. She blogs at Mexico Reporter, where she writes about attending a survival training session. 

Training Day 

My breath is tearing out of my lungs and my leg muscles are screaming for a reprieve. I just scaled a 60-degree hill coated in thorny brambles and poisonous plants whilst being pounded by rain. In the dark. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but it did. Later that night, my fellow journalists and I were kidnapped by masked guerillas who jumped onto our bus.

Our only comfort? That none of this was real. But it could have been, which is the point of the survival course 18 journalists who live and work in Mexico attended last week in Toluca, just outside of Mexico City.

During the five day survival program, the journalists dodged tear gas and Army tanks and learned how to survive in the wilderness. The psychological stresses were addressed, too; they learned strategies for dealing with emotions.

In Mexico these days, that may be the most important lesson of all.

“Once in Apatzingan a cameraman and I were taken,” says Miguel Garcia Tinoco, a 40-year-old journalist and owner of the Notivideo video news website based in Michoacan.

“They took us to talk with a drug-trafficking boss on a street in Apatzingan, and they wanted to make us write what they wanted, what they wanted to communicate.”

This group of traffickers gained infamy three years ago when they tossed the severed heads of six enemies onto the dance floor of a nightclub.

“They wanted us to publish an explanation of why they’d murdered those six people. What we told them was that we couldn’t make a decision in terms of what we published or didn’t publish in the newspaper - that it was up to the editor. And in the end my editor decided not to publish anything at all.”

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

A machine used for mining in Indiana, where Worldfocus anchor Martin Savidge was once held by an armed mine owner.

American journalist Roxana Saberi is heading home after she was released from an Iranian prison earlier this week. She had been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying, but was released after an appeals court reduced her punishment to a two-year suspended sentence.

Worldfocus anchor Martin Savidge writes about his own experience being detained. 

After what must have been a frightening time for her and her family, Roxana Saberi is heading home.

We’re still waiting to hear the exact cause for her trial and imprisonment in Iran, which Saberi says she will reveal when she’s ready. One account from an Iranian lawyer says it was because she was caught in possession of some sort of sensitive government document.

I have been detained twice in my life as a journalist so far.

The first incident was very early on in my career. It was my first television job, and I was working at WCIA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. There was a nationwide strike by the United Mine Workers, and my assignment editor got wind of a strip mine located just across the state line in Indiana that continued to operate. He thought that might make a good story, so the cameraman and I drove off.

It took a while to find the place on the dirt back roads. As we were getting close, we passed a family butchering a pig that was hanging from a tree in their front yard. I should have seen it as an omen, but I didn’t.

We found the mine, but it wasn’t operating. It wasn’t shut down in observance of the strike, but rather due to the recent rain — it was just too muddy for the heavy equipment. I radioed the assignment desk for instructions; they said “Shoot what you can and come on back.”

We started filming from the road but couldn’t see much, so we ventured onto the property — which of course was trespassing, and a mistake.

Not long after, I heard a voice from behind asking, “Just what the hell are you doing?” I turned to find a big, weather-beaten man with a grim face holding a large gun aimed directly at us.

I stammered out some weak answer. This was clearly the mine’s owner. He knew, as I did, that if the UMW found out he was operating during their strike, he’d be in deep trouble.

He proceeded to demand the tape and the camera. I was young, dumb and just out of journalism school, with just enough idealistic passion to tell a man with a gun in his hand “No.”

He marched us into a worksite trailer on the property. He sat me down at a desk and told me to call my station. I got my assignment editor on the line and told him that the owner had shown up and was demanding our video — failing to mention the gun. The assignment editor broke into an amazing string of expletives describing the mine owner and his lineage. It was also very loud. I heard it and so did the gun holder — that’s when I decided to let my assignment editor in on the fact the man had a gun on us.

The assignment editor stopped mid-”@##$!,” got quiet and asked if we were alright. “Yes,” I said.

“Give him the tape and the camera,” he told me. Just like that — no debate, no harsh words, just give him what he asks.

“But…” I started to stammer.

“Just give it to him,” came the worried voice over the phone.

So I told the cameraman to eject the tape and give it and the camera to the mine owner.

The funny thing was, the guy just sort of looked at me staring at the gun, which he seemed to notice in his hands for the first time. He could see I was scared. He quickly put it down on the desk making sure to point it away from us.

“@#$%!” the mine owner said. “Keep the damn tape and your camera and get out of here.” I told my assignment editor who was still on the phone listening that we were coming home.

After a long quiet ride back to the station, I walked in and gave the tape to the assignment editor. He asked if I was okay. I said yes. “Do you want me to write up something about the mine story?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said. “It’s not worth it.”

Since those days, I have had other run-ins with people with guns who’ve demanded my tape. I don’t argue with them — instead, I have devised other ways to prevent from ever losing a story. So far, I never have.

As for the second incident? That took place in Kuwait, and no amount of fast-talking would get me out of trouble — not when I was in the hands of the secret police being held at a secret military base. But that’s for another blog.

- Martin Savidge

For more on detained journalists, watch an interview with Joel Simon of the Committee to Protect Journalists: North Korea sets trial date for detained U.S. journalists.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user cindy47452 under a Creative Commons license.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Current TV, were reporting on North Korean refugees living in China when they were arrested in March. They were accused of illegal entry and unspecified “hostile acts” and could face up to 10 years in prison.

This case is one among many stories of journalist detentions, including the recent detainment of Roxanna Saberi in Iran and the holding of journalists by other countries including the U.S.

Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, provides a closer look at the plight of journalists around the world. Simon discusses the most dangerous places for journalists and gives his thoughts on the effect the Internet has had on press freedoms.

American journalist Roxana Saberi was released from an Iranian prison on Monday.

In Iran, an American journalist sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the United States was released on Monday.

Roxana Saberi, who reported for National Public Radio and other news organizations, was freed after an appeals court rejected the original sentence and issued a two-year suspended sentence.

She was held for a total of four months, and her release removes an obstacle in President Obama’s efforts to open a dialogue with Iran.

Journalist “Liana” sympathizes with her counterparts in Iran: 

I woke up to the great news this morning that Roxana Saberi, the American journalist who had been convicted of espionage and sentenced to 8 years in prison in Tehran, Iran has now been freed and reunited with her parents. She had been arrested in late January, followed by a one-day secretive trial.

My heart sinks every time I hear of a journalist being equated with  a criminal or being accused of criminal activity. This case was especially close to home because my family is from Iran. I always remember the fact about how my life would have turned out if we had never left. How differently would I have turned out? Would my passions, goals and dreams have been the same? Would I have even considered becoming a journalist, knowing that because of what I said or did, I could be arrested and put in jail with an 8 year prison sentence? In my heart of hearts, I have to believe that my passions in life would not only have stayed the same, but would have been stronger.

David Andelman of World Policy writes about the political undertones of Saberi’s release: 

The alacrity with which the “appeals court” on Sunday reversed the decision of the Revolutionary Court, reducing the charge from conveying classified information to the less onerous “crime” of possessing it, then reducing her sentence to two years (suspended) and freeing her immediately, suggests the degree to which the judicial system can be manipulated in the interest of political or diplomatic expediency.

Several issues, however, remain cloaked in mystery. Why and how did the charges against her escalate so quickly and dramatically?  What message was the Revolutionary Court trying to send—internally or externally?

Iran is in the midst of what could prove to be quite a fraught, and critical, national election campaign in which the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is fighting for his political life. Is this a message from extreme Islamists in control of the Revolutionary Court system to the moderates of what might be in store should their candidate be elected? Or is it simply a question of one hand not really knowing what the other is doing—and, in the end, reason returning to the political leadership that is indeed anxious to resume a constructive dialogue with the West, especially the United States?

Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic’s “Washington” blog explores possible meanings behind the release: 

Iran watchers will be making one of two cases today: that the freeing suggests nothing at all about Iran’s intentions toward the West; Iran’s government wants to demonstrate to Europe (in particular) that it is capable of acting in good faith.  The other is that Iranian-United States relations have come a long way since 1/20, and even in the wake of saber rattling, the presidency of Barack Obama has so flummoxed the Iranian leadership that they have no choice to vary their routine.  I don’t know which interpretation is correct, I would add, as a point of information, that Iran’s government is not monolithic; that the bureaucracy and many judges consider themselves independent of the executive branch and the mullahs.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user El_Enigma under a Creative Commons license.

A photo of civilian refugees released by the Sri Lankan army. Source: IRIN

As the Sri Lankan government continues its assault against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE ), journalists and most aid groups have been barred from the front lines — meaning the conflict is largely hidden and reports are difficult to verify. 

The Tamil Tigers have long fought for an independent state for Sri Lanka’s Tamil ethnic minority, but the government is now pushing into their last stronghold — a strip of land only four square miles in size. 

Morten Hvaal is a photographer based in Sri Lanka. He writes at “Frontline” about his frustration at being prevented from covering “what might be left of the war.”

For more on the conflict, listen to our online radio show on Sri Lanka’s civil war.

Free Tiger tour, anyone?

So, “Foreign media taken on a free ride by the LTTE“, according to the Sri Lankan Government’s propaganda website “Media Centre For National Security” (MCNS). Apparently, many of us are terrorist sympathisers and, well, stupid. I might actually have been insulted, had I not been at the receiving end of similar accusations for many months now. And, one does need to try and stay in the MCNS’ good books, because they too occasionally take the foreign media on free rides.

Saturday morning, 0500hrs, a military airport in Colombo; I’m reading the printed program for the day’s “VISIT OF MEDIA PERSONAL” (sic) to, amongst several other unpronounceable locations, Pudumathalan, which is on the frontline to the LTTE-held “no-fire zone”. After several hours of flights, briefings, displays of captured LTTE weapons, refreshments and rides in armoured personnel carriers the motley crew of close to 30 sweating journalists and a handful of senior Sri Lankan military officers dismount “near the front line”. 

The television talking heads do their thing: “We’re at the front line where LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is about to face his destiny”. Except we’re not. The front line is four or five kilometres away. All we can see is a dirt road, Pudhumathalan lagoon, some very relaxed-looking soldiers and a few red buses, supposedly waiting to transport civilians coming out of the no-fire zone. Apart from the chatter of the TV crews it’s quiet.

The ultimate proof of how safely removed we are from what might be left of the war is that two of the Sri Lankan Army’s most important general officers are happy to hang around and chat. Both are adamant that it would all be over soon if it weren’t for the civilians. No surprises there; everything indicates that the Tigers are on their last legs as a conventional fighting force, and the generals are visibly proud to declare that the army has killed thousands of terrorists. The surprise comes when they say they’re not killing any civilians. 

People are getting hurt though. Our departure from the helipad at nearby Puthukudirippu is delayed, and while we wait several casualties arrive in ambulances, only to be loaded back in and driven off again after we try and photograph them. At the same time we start hearing the sound of distant detonations. 

See the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Tuesday night is radio night round here — BlogTalkRadio. This past week we spent a half hour discussing the case of seven Iranian members of the Ba’hai faith who have been arrested by the Iranian government for allegedly spying for Israel.

It’s of course a legitimate story for Worldfocus, and it’s also a perfect example of how we want to make this show different from typical news programs. The difference is you.

This story was first brought to my attention by a viewer.  We ask for your comments usually at the end of the newscast and — perhaps surprising to some of you — we actually read all of them.

Shedding light on injustices around the world is of course a major goal of journalism, but such stories are increasingly seldom seen in the U.S. as domestic networks reduce their international staff and coverage.  After reading the viewer’s e-mail, this story seemed very much a case of religious persecution. We reached out to our partners and found that ITN had actually done a report from Tehran, which was the piece that made it on to our program.

After that piece aired, we had a huge influx of email about it. It was that interest that prompted us to spend more time and go deeper on the issue with our online radio program. Both the communication from you and the radio program are possible because of the new technologies we’re experimenting with online.

We knew from the outset that our broadcast is really only a one-way form of communication. We talk to you.

Worldfocus.org is just as vital because it allows you to talk to us. What you liked or didn’t and what you think deserves to be covered. The site is also a way for you to read what people all over the world are saying about the international issues that impact all of us. You can join the conversation.

That has also been one of the core hopes of Worldfocus, to provide international insight to people that in turn sparks their thinking and a desire to know more. Then we hope you’ll come to our Web site, which is sort of an international watering hole to connect with other people from all around the globe and talk with them. We encourage you to share information or stories from our program with friends on the Web.

Which is another reason you are so important to Worldfocus. All of our budget goes into gathering news. We don’t have a promotions department or even a budget for such — so one last favor you can do for us. If you like Worldfocus…tell someone.

- Martin Savidge

Join in on the conversation by posting your comments below or Talk to US by submitting a video of your views.

Then and now: Martin Savidge with Dan Rather in 1983 and 2009.

When he was a local television reporter in Peoria, Illinois, a young Martin Savidge met veteran journalist Dan Rather. Now, after interviewing Rather this week, the Worldfocus anchor discusses the importance of his iconic global reporting.

We asked Dan Rather to come by Worldfocus on Monday. For me it was a personal thrill, as well as a professional opportunity to better inform our audience on Afghanistan. Watch the interview here: No quick peace in Afghanistan’s long-term war.

I first met Dan as a young journalist on my second job in TV news, working for a local CBS affiliate in Peoria, Illinois. Yup, I played in Peoria! I was sent to New York and CBS along with my co-anchor, Anne Ferry, to shoot the much-coveted promotional spot — local TV people with the Dan Rather.

You can imagine for a young journalist how intimidating it might be meeting one of America’s most trusted. Before the promo shoot, he invited us into his office just to chat. He knew plenty about Peoria and especially central Illinois’ place in present and past political history. He made me feel at ease.

Later, I had a photo taken of the three of us on the set of CBS Evening News. I have kept it proudly on display in my home ever since.

For me, Rather is also synonymous to a deep commitment to international coverage, understanding that it is essential for American viewers. Americans came to know of many distant lands because Dan went there for us. His embeds with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan have become iconic, even the stuff of movies.

Rather has continued to watch Afghanistan and the rest of the world through his weekly program, “Dan Rather Reports” on HDNet. It is the kind of reporting we strive for on Worldfocus — depth and understanding. The world matters. So his insight and experience was perfect for our discussion on America’s new focus on an ancient land.

Before he left Monday, I asked Dan for a favor which he graciously granted. And we posed for a photo on the set of Worldfocus side by side.

For me, history had come full circle.

- Martin Savidge

A newsstand in Sri Lanka, where a prominent journalist was recently slain.

The killing of Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge last week was made more poignant with the release of a letter written prior to his death, in which he foretold his murder and reaffirmed his dedication to democracy and journalism despite the danger.

“When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me,” wrote Wickrematunge, formerly the editor of the independent newspaper The Sunday Leader.  He had been attacked three times prior to the fatal shooting on Jan. 7, for which the government denies involvement.

Blogger “Nalaka Gunawardene” posts a tribute to the slain writer, urging others to keep questioning the Sri Lankan government.

The “Ramblings of a Mind” blog writes that Wickrematunge’s death was unacceptable, and that Sri Lankans can no longer afford apathy.

A writer at Sri Lankan citizen journalism portal “GroundViews” provides an overview of recent attacks on independent Sri Lankan media and worries for the country’s future.

Blogger “Yaacov” in Jerusalem compares the conflict in Sri Lanka to that in Gaza and discusses Wickrematunge’s bravery.

Blogger “Indrajit Samarajiva” writes from Sri Lanka about Wickrematunge’s funeral and accompanying protests.

Watch a video of Wickrematunge’s funeral, attended by more than 4,000 people, from YouTube user vikalpasl:

Photo courtesy of Flickr user DennisSylvesterHurd under a Creative Commons license.

One of the estimated 160,000 Egyptian bloggers shares his perspective in our Web exclusive video: Egyptian bloggers cite censorship, arrest and torture.

Special correspondent Hoda Osman and producer Sally Garner report on the state of journalism in Egypt from Cairo.