Words of Fire Independent Journalists who Challenge Dictators, Drug Lords, and Other Enemies of a Free Press / Anthony Collings.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Collings, Anthony.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Journalists.

Journalism--Political aspects.

Government and the press.

Journalism.

Journalists--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 269 p. ) ill., map ;

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

If journalism is the first draft of history, then independent journalists are surely its most daring composers.Along such celebrated and high-profile figures as Christiane Amanpour and Wolf Blitzer, there exists a stratum of journalists self-employed, working under dire conditions, and with minimal resources who often place themselves at ground zero of world events. In this gripping account, Anthony Collings takes us into the world of independent journalists, and the daily challenges they face confronting dictators, hostile military, and narcoterrorists. Unfettered by any ties to those in positions of power, these guerrilla journalists are often the first on a story whether reporting on corruption in Mexico, organized crime in Russia, or sexual scandal in the Middle East and accordingly face the brunt of their subject's wrath.Collings, who has himself been held captive while on assignment, here focuses less on those nations in which the press is either largely free (such as the U.S. or Western European democracies) or aggressively restricted (as in China), and more on those "battleground countries" where the eventual outcome of the struggle between state and fourth estate remains unclear. Relying on interviews, professional contacts, and his own experiences, Collings explores the dilemmas and strategies of journalists who persevere in the face of war, repressive governments, and criminal aggression, with particular emphasis on the role of the Internet.At a time when journalism is increasingly a profession under siege, Words of Fire forces into the spotlight a more positive side of the profession, those who pursue journalism not for profit or fame but as a personal crusade.

Contents:

"They are the news" : facing Mexican druglords

She had to be there : taking risks in Russia

Opening the door : courage in Asia

Guerrilla journalists : underground in Nigeria

A precious pen : defiance around the world

The general's Mercedes : crime and corruption

A veiled woman : the separatists

Brother against brother : civil war

In the thick of it : protests and riots

Money at stake : economic secrets

The president's mistress

12. We are not amused : satire

We have ways : violence and imprisonment

We have other ways : legal and economic pressures

Chilled or defiant : the painful choice

Cat and computer mouse : using the internet

The great firewall : China and the Internet

Send in Uncle Walter : advocacy groups.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8147-6391-X

0-585-48006-0

OCLC:

53481910