Mark H. Massé

In response to the tragic deaths of Western journalists in Syria this week, the Indianapolis Star published my op-ed (Feb. 26) on the effects of conflict coverage on correspondents: http://www.indystar.com/article/20120226/OPINION03/202260329/Those-who-cover-those-who-serve-also-suffer?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Tributes continue to American Marie Colvin, intrepid foreign correspondent (Sunday Times, London) who was killed this week during a shelling attack in Syria. Excellent article (Feb. 23) by Martyn McLaughlin (Scotsman.com), citing Colvin's own prophetic words:http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/marie_colvin_our_mission_is_to_report_these_horrors_of_war_with_accuracy_and_without_prejudice_1_2133185
"During a tribute service for slain journalists at Fleet Street’s St Bride’s Church in November 2010, she offered a stirring appeal to media executives to continue investing in such reporting, and spoke of the role of the foreign correspondent. 'Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice,' she said. 'We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado? Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price.' ” Read More 

John Doyle, (Toronto) Globe and Mail Columnist, discusses the award-winning documentary "Under Fire" by Martyn Burke about the rising death toll of war correspondents and murders of investigative reporters worldwide. The documentary also discusses the emotional toll of trauma reporting on men and women journalists and the international media reform efforts directed at such issues.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/television/john-doyle/under-fire-journalists-witnessing-war-and-risking-death/article2344029/ Read More 

The late Anthony Shadid, who died at 43 due to an apparent asthma attack while reporting in Syria on Feb. 16, has been widely praised for his courage and skillful reporting in harm's way. "I think there are stories worth getting hurt for," Shadid once told an audience at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (http://www.news.wisc.edu/20341). The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times foreign correspondent had been shot and beaten on assignments in the West Bank and Libya. Yet he was undeterred in seeking stories in some of the world's most turbulent locales. He leaves behind a distinguished legacy as a trauma journalist. Read More 

Effective trauma journalism requires ethical reporting guidelines and responsible behavior. In his QUILL (Jan/Feb) column, "Minimizing harm takes careful consideration," Kevin Smith cites the Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) Code of Ethics: "ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect." Smith directs journalists to seek permission with victims and loved ones before interviewing, to show respect and to empathize: "Mostly, remember that your coverage of any tragedy will remain a part of the victims' memories long after you move on to other stories." Read More 

Excellent article by Mary Fitzgerald in Feb. 11 Irish Times ("Risk is Gender Blind") on experiences of today's women war correspondents/trauma journalists: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2012/0211/1224311558955.html

"What Happens When War Journalists Come Home?" My op-ed on the emotional impact of covering war, conflict, crisis and disaster published today in Muncie (Ind.) Star Press: http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012202120330

From New York Times (2-9-12) article by Kerri MacDonald: The “Conflict Zone,” an exhibition of recent conflict, crisis and war photography from Iraq and Afghanistan opens Feb. 10 at the New York City Fire Museum. Noted photojournalists are represented in the exhibit, which features the work of Chris Hondros, the Getty Images photographer who was killed in Libya in April 2011. Jackie Spinner, director of “Conflict Zone,”: “It ends up being a very healing process, when the show brings together photographers to talk about photography.” The New York City Fire Museum donated space for “Conflict Zone,” which is a project of the the Independence Fund. The New York Show is sponsored by the Independence Fund, the Chris Hondros Fund and the F.D.N.Y. Fire Family Transport Foundation. Most of the proceeds will go to the Hondros Fund, as well as to the Fisher House Foundation and the Independence Fund.
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/two-wars-seen-many-ways/ Read More 

My research on impact of covering trauma on literary journalists to be presented at March 2012 American Comparative Literature Assoc. (ACLA) conference, Brown Univ. Authors studied: Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter Thompson, Michael Herr, Ted Conover, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Research question: What are the emotional effects of extended immersion in conflict, crime, disaster, war and other hazardous reporting on literary journalists? Read More 

From Feb. 4 Obit: “George Esper, the tenacious Associated Press correspondent who refused to leave his post in the last days of the Vietnam War, remaining behind to cover the fall of Saigon, has died. He was 79. ‘George was most famous for his journalistic chops, his courage and tenacity, particularly in Vietnam. But those lucky enough to know him will celebrate his enormous generosity and boundless good cheer,’ said Kathleen Carroll, AP's executive editor and senior vice president. Besides covering stories, Esper mentored young reporters in the AP and aspiring journalists he taught as a college professor (West Virginia University). Esper earned accolades for breaking important stories and logged 10 years in Vietnam, the last two as AP's bureau chief. He regularly wrote AP's daily war roundup, a comprehensive story that was a fixture in many American and foreign newspapers.”
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/30377997/detail.html#ixzz1lQp10sBO Read More