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The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
Summer 1999

War Crimes, Human Rights and Press Freedom: The Journalist's Job

Ethnic conflict in the Balkans provides examples of crimes of war and abuses of human rights that journalists are being increasingly called upon to cover. Our focus then turns to examining the plight of journalists and media institutions covering the war in Yugoslavia. Journalists then address the topic of press freedom and media responsibility.

War Crimes, Human Rights and Press Freedom: The Journalist’s Job
Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
The Journalist as a Witness to War Crimes
A New Book Helps Reporters Define What They See
By Ellen Hume
Confronting the Abuses of Human Rights
In the Post-Cold War Era, Ethnic Conflicts Result in War Crimes
By John Shattuck
9 Mass Graves: An Excerpt From ‘Crimes of War’
By Elizabeth Neuffer
A Serbian Journalist Ponders What Has Been Lost (1 comment)
‘What,’ he asks, ‘does courage mean in the face of repression?’
By Dragan Cicic
An Albanian Newspaper Is Reborn
Kosovo Refugee Journalists Refuse to Let Their Reporting Be Silenced
By Ardian Arifaj
In Yugoslavia, the Consequences of Not Reporting the Truth
Journalists’ Failure to Report Honestly Empowers Tyrants
By Chris Hedges
The Journalist as Moral Arbiter
A Consideration of How Reporters Use the Word ‘Evil’
By Michael J. Kirkhorn
Penetrating Milosevic’s Wall of Silence
Voice of America Finds Creative Ways to Reach Balkan Audiences By Mark
By Mark B. Lewis
Reflections of Balkan Journalists
When the Personal Becomes Part of One’s Profession
Excerpts From Global Beat
Images and Words From the Balkan Conflict
By David Brauchli
Dealing With the Trauma of Covering War
Journalists Talk About Ways They Cope With What They See
Excerpts From a Conference
A Ugandan Journalist Is Taken to Court By his Government (4 comments)
Mounting a Defense to a Charge of ‘Publication of False News’
By Charles Onyango-Obbo
Watching the Watchdogs
In Kenya, a Monthly Media Review Keeps a Watchful Eye on Journalists and Others
By Wilson Wanene
Chilean Media Work in the Long Shadow of Pinochet
Media Ownership and Government Dictate the Ways This Former Dictator Is Covered
By Mirko Macari
Immigrants Ignite a Media Maelstrom in Greece
By Linking Foreigners With Crime, Broadcast Media Tried to Grow Their Ratings. But at What Cost?
By Dimitri Mitropoulos
Words & Reflections: ‘The Monica Thing’ and Other Observations About Journalism
Introduction
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Searching for Facts in a Sea of Speculation
Two journalists sift through the evidence of scandal coverage.
By Richard Harwood
‘The Monica Thing’
How would Scotty Reston and his generation of Washington reporters have handled the story? His biographer looks for answers.
By John F. Stacks
Blurring the Lines Hurts Journalism
By Jim Lehrer
The Strange Questions Journalists Ask
Is it possible they heard the same speech?
By Richard L. Fox
Why I Asked Jesse Jackson About the Media
By Adam-Paul Smolak
‘The Republic of Entertainment’
Is news reporting moving into this territory?
By Josh Getlin
Max Frankel’s Life and Times
From his refugee roots, Frankel rises to the top and now reports on his journey.
By Jack Nelson
Reforming Welfare, Reporting on Poverty: The Challenges of Reporting This Story in Various Communities and Other Countries
Introduction
Reforming Welfare, Reporting on Poverty: The Challenges of Reporting This Story in Various Communities and Other Countries
By Melissa Ludtke, Editor
Constructing the Welfare Story Brick By Brick
Write Up; Write Down; Write Fast; Write Slow
By Bill Kovach
The Evolving Coverage of Welfare Reform
Themes of Dependency Give Way to Complexities of Life Among the Working Poor
By Lynda McDonnell
Welfare Reform and Latinos = Immigration and Cultural Politics
The Story Is About More Than Moving From Welfare to Work
By Joe Rodriguez
Asian-Americans and Welfare Reform
The Mainstream Press Perpetuates Images but Fails to Report on Real Experiences
By William Wong
The ‘Welfare Queen’ Experiment (2 comments)
How Viewers React to Images of African-American Mothers on Welfare
By Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
In the Midst of Poverty, People’s Stories are Hard to Tell
Small Staffs, Lack of Resources, and Families’ Fear of Reprisals Add to Difficulties in Coverage
By Pat Gish
Why Identify Welfare Recipients or Quote Incorrect Grammar?
Portraying Poverty in the Face of Newsroom Pressures
Demand More Time. Agitate for More Space. And Revisit the Subject Often.
By Martha Shirk
European Reporters’ Views of America’s Welfare Reform
Media Coverage Shifts From Looking Abroad to Looking Next Door
By Martin Gehlen
Nieman Notes
Finding Stories of Common Concerns
Connecting foreign reporting to domestic audiences
By Susan E. Reed
Using the Camera to Peer Inside
By Beatriz Terrazas