Women in the News

The well known American born reporter Marie Colvin died yesterday in Homs Syria doing what she did best. Covering wars so that we never forget the inhumanity and suffering that Governments unleash as a means of furthering politics by other means.

Marie worked for the Sunday Times as a foreign correspondent for over twenty years. Her trademark was a distinctive eye patch she acquired as a result of being hit by shrapnel in 2001, when she was reporting from Sri Lanka.

Marie was a very exceptional person. The reason the world needs reporters like Marie is best described in her own words.

In November 2010 Marie Colvin gave a speech on: Why we journalists must continue going to war despite the dangers.

In her speech she argued that ‘the need for frontline, objective reporting has never been more compelling.’

She added: "Covering a war means going to places torn by chaos, destruction, and death... and trying to bear witness. It means trying to find the truth in a sandstorm of propaganda when armies, tribes or terrorists clash.

And yes, it means taking risks, not just for yourself but often for the people who work closely with you.

Despite all the videos you see from the Ministry of Defence or the Pentagon, and all the sanitised language describing smart bombs and pinpoint strikes... the scene on the ground has remained remarkably the same for hundreds of years. Craters. Burned houses. Mutilated bodies. Women weeping for children and husbands. Men for their wives, mothers children.

Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice.

We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?’

She also spoke of the time in 2001 when during the Sri Lankan civil war she lost an eye, after being injured by shrapnel: ‘Many of you here must have asked yourselves - or be asking yourselves now - is it worth the cost in lives, heartbreak, loss? Can we really make a difference?

I faced that question when I was injured. In fact one paper ran a headline saying, 'has Marie Colvin gone too far this time?' My answer then, and now, was that it is worth it.’

She continued by saying that journalists cover wars because ‘the public have a right to know what our government, and our armed forces, are doing in our name.’

She added: ‘Our mission is to speak the truth to power. We send home that first rough draft of history. We can, and do, make a difference in exposing the horrors of war and especially the atrocities that befall civilians.’

Despite the changes in technology, she believed war reporting is still essentially the same as it always has been.

‘Someone has to go there and see what is happening. You can't get that information without going to places where people are being shot at, and others are shooting at you.
The real difficulty is having enough faith in humanity to believe that enough people be they government, military or the man on the street, will care when your file reaches the printed page, the website or the TV screen.

We do have that faith because we believe we do make a difference.’

Marie will be a great loss.

Also in the news:

One of my favourite singers and enfant terrible of the pop world Adele. The night before last she was giving her acceptance speech for her Best Album award when she was cut short last night after the live show over-ran. This was so ITV could squeeze in another advert. In retaliation the singer flipped the finger as she left the stage. Good for you girl!!!

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