News & Terrorism

Trade Secrets: Preparing Journalists For Battle

The war on terror may spread to other countries and, with it, journalists. If you haven't been to a war zone before, you should consider what you're getting into.

By Alex Quade for July/August 2002 Communicator

Quade poses at the top of the mountain where CNN placed its radio repeater.

Before You Go
Consider the scale of the conflict: With which side will you be in contact? Will that side be on the losing side or winning side?

Analyze the situation and take advice from different people before you get close to the frontline. Talk with people coming from the frontline-charity or goodwill workers, military personnel, other journalists. Acquire the most recent maps. Do your research!

You will need to liaise with the military and with whatever international forces are in country, so setting up those contacts beforehand can save you much hassle. These people can provide you with security information and details of what's happening in country before you get there-information that could save your life.

Finally, make sure you are properly trained. This includes first aid training, survival training and safety training. You don't want to learn these things "on the job." If your company won't pay for it, then do yourself a favor and invest in your own career.

Fixers become bodyguards when a crowd turns into a riot situation after a soccer game in Kabul.

What to Bring
First and most important: Pack light. No, really. Pack light! Everything you take should "multifunction;" fashion will not be a large concern where you're going. Weight, however, will be. There are no baggage porters at Bagram Air Base-whatever you bring, you'll be schlepping. So if you can't carry it, leave it home. Also, assume everything you take will get lost, stolen or broken.

With that in mind, hit your local camping supply store. You'll need water, so be sure to have a water purification bottle and backup filter. Also, drugs (I'm talking prescriptions here!): Cipro is a wonderful all-purpose antibiotic that takes care of anything from stomach ailments to diarrhea; Zithromax for various respiratory infections (battling the "Kabul Cough"); Malarone to prevent malaria.

And don't forget a flashlight and spare batteries!

Quade with her fixer/translator and driver/bodyguard in the mountains of Afghanistan.

On the Ground
Make sure you have proper body armor: a flak jacket and helmet if you're going into an area of shelling or shooting. You'll need transportation in the field. We rented Land Rovers and brought in armored cars. You'll also need local drivers and fixers/translators to help you through checkpoints.

Besides pen, paper, laptop (which may not work!) and camera, bring money (lots of U.S. dollars and local currency), packs of cigarettes (for bribes) and a satellite phone. (One of the latest innovations in satellite phone technology is the Thuraya-it's small, portable, and works virtually anywhere.)

Also consider how you will communicate with your colleagues in the field to do your job. In Kabul, phone service was virtually nonexistent; we relied on two-way radios. The radios, however, still posed problems due to poor reception and coverage, so we put a radio repeater on top of the highest local mountain after wrangling permission from various local authorities and the military.

Your personal security is also a concern (especially in light of Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder). At the CNN compound in Kabul, we hired guards armed with AK-47s, and CNN staffers were not allowed out of the locked gates without a local fixer/translator.

Fixers also can handle crowd-control issues during shoots in dicey areas. In the field, you need a fixer you can trust to watch your back as well as do translations.

Quade visits war-torn areas with driver Khan Mirza.

Reality Check
Know what kind of insurance coverage the organization sending you has (if you are a freelancer, this is especially important). Make sure your newsroom has a plan to get you out of the area should the need arise. Your shot record (immunizations, etc.), passport and visas should be in order. Ditto for your will. And make sure you and your colleagues know your blood type and any preexisting conditions medics would need to know about should you be unconscious.

This will be a stressful assignment. You'll be working under extra pressures, in bad living conditions with little sleep, dealing with deadlines in different time zones. You must be physically and mentally in shape to cope. You may get sent for three days and end up staying three months. You need to be ready for this-as does your family back home.

Finally, when in country, be aware of your surroundings. Stay alert! Keep your wits about you and use common sense. Also, check in with your editors back home in your newsrooms regularly so you are accounted for.

You are there to do a job…it does no good to be in country and unable to get your story out. Whatever you can do to prepare before going to a war zone will help you when you get there.

--Alex Quade is a freelance journalist for CNN based in Europe. Besides Afghanistan, she's covered conflicts in Kosovo, Macedonia and Kuwait.