Journalists as Heroes?

Television journalists Alex Crawford  and John Simpson have both been hailed as brave heroes in their time.

In 1973 Jonathan Dimbleby made a Thames Television documentary report in Ethiopia called The Unknown Famine. He has written about its impact:

A few months later, The Unknown Famine, as we called our report, became a catalyst for the overthrow of the quasi-feudal regime of Haile Selassie. Crudely recut to include scenes of high life at the imperial palace and retitled The Hidden Hunger, our footage was used to devastating effect on Ethiopian television to soften up the Emperor's subjects for the military coup which brought Comrade - later President - Mengistu to power.

I was in Ethiopia when scenes from the film showing the famine were broadcast, intercut with news footage of the Emperor hosting lavish state banquets.

I have often wondered about the consequences and impact of media reports, sometimes misleading, and about issues of responsibility, intervention, representation, interpretation and power.

These issues deserve plenty of thought. They are often matters of life and death.