From tracking the revolution in Sudan to being targeted by ISIS, three female reporters tell BritishVogue about the hardships of reporting from the frontline – and what motivates them to keep going back.
“I got on the terrorism beat in 2012 when I was the West Africa bureau chief for the Associated Press. One of the countries in my region was Mali and at that time a group that called themselves the Al-Qaeda name invaded the north of the country. In 2013, when the French military went to Mali to help Malians take back the north, I followed them. When I reached Timbuktu, residents took me to the building occupied by the terrorist group where I found thousands of documents that they’d left behind.
“More than six months ago I was in Iraq, in the city of Samarra where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, grew up. I’d gone to interview his neighbours who’d known him since he was a child. When we went back a few days later, my colleague and translator was sent an image of a flyer that had been left in the neighbourhood. It had been typed on ISIS stationery and identified me, my translator, my other local colleague and our driver by name.
“We took the letter to our sources and they quickly pointed out that there was a mistake in the ISIS stationery: they were using the old nomenclature of ISIS, when it used to be called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. That change happened in 2014 and so they were using the old stationery. We realised it was a fake and that somebody was trying to scare us by impersonating ISIS.
“Back then, the risk was that you’d get caught in the crossfire. Then after the Iraq War, you started seeing reporters being targeted. Now, ISIS has made it clear that reporters are considered enemy combatants. The punishment if you’re caught in its territory is death. We saw that with James Foley, Steven Sotloff and others. In so many of the areas I’ve worked, a press badge used to be a statement of neutrality. Now I actively think about being targeted and that’s a big change.
“We’d been covering heavy combat on the frontlines for over two weeks. Muammar Gaddafi’s troops were coming from the west and the rebels were pushing from the east. We as journalists had all entered Libya illegally because that was the only way to cover the uprising. One day we ran into one of Gaddafi’s checkpoints and were taken hostage. We were told to lie face down in the dirt, they put guns to our heads, tied us up and blindfolded us. When that happens, you don’t know where it will end.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
These are the personality traits women look for in female friends'I find people who aren't afraid to show when they're enthusiastic about things are so nice to be around.'
Read more »
Alice Guy Blache: Rediscovering the first great female filmmaker‘My youth, my inexperience, my sex,’ the French cineaste wrote of her start in the industry, ‘all conspired against me’
Read more »
El Chapo’s top female assassin mysteriously found dead in lover's bedEL CHAPO’s top assassin, dubbed the “Kim Kardashian of organised crime”, has been found dead in her lover’s bed in mysterious circumstances. Claudia Ochoa Felix, 35, is believed t…
Read more »
7 of the funniest female-led podcastsListen to these laugh-out-loud podcasts, including London, Actually, Nobody Panic and The Receipts. We guarantee that they will brighten up the greyest commutes. TravelTuesday podcasts
Read more »
Shay Mitchell’s new comedy Dollface is a moving love letter to female friendshipsEverything you need to know about Hulu's upcoming comedy series Dollface ShayMitchell
Read more »