Frontlines of Journalism

Jul 04 2023 12 ep. 249

Frontlines of Journalism Podcast artwork

Reflecting on some of the most difficult stories he's reported on, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen look at the obstacles that stand between journalists and the truth.

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Welcome To Frontlines of Journalism

May 03 2023 3 mins

Jeremy Bowen presents stories from the frontlines of conflict– and journalism itself. Today’s journalists are no longer seen as non-combatants in battles – be they in real war zones or engaging in political and cultural reporting.For the past four decades BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has reported from the frontlines of some of the most complex, contentious and contes

1. Off Balance

May 09 2023 15 mins

In the spring of 2023, twenty years after the Americans, the British and their allies invaded to overthrow Saddam Hussein, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen was reporting from Iraq for the BBC. He described the invasion as 'a catastrophe'. Taking you to some of the most difficult stories Jeremy and other journalists have covered; in this episode - why impartiality is not about

2. Not in your shoes

May 09 2023 13 mins

What happens when the world is divided about the rights and wrongs of a conflict, and a story generates a lot of heat?Nothing does that more than the most contentious story Jeremy Bowen has covered: Israelis and Palestinians.BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen speaks with: BBC Gaza producer and journalist Rushdi Abu Alouf, journalist Shlomi Eldar and Emily Bell - professor at Col

3. All for nothing

May 09 2023 15 mins

Journalism can mean pushing your way into peoples’ lives at their worst moments. Without a good a reason, it’s tourism. Or war porn. People disagree on what that reason is. Reflecting on his reports from the Siege of Sarajevo, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen asks if it is enough to just report it straight. Jeremy speaks with: journalist and environmental activist George M

4. Rules and habits

May 09 2023 14 mins

For BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen, good reporting involves empathy. But the job of a foreign correspondent means being an outsider.Detachment was once considered a journalistic virtue, but does lived experience allow you to tell a story more accurately? Is who we are an obstacle to getting to the real story?Jeremy speaks with: Dean Baquet - until 2022 the executive editor o

5. The why is as important as the what

May 09 2023 15 mins

In early March 2022, days after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen was in Kyiv.Back in the hotel after a day of reporting, the enormity of what was happening prompted an emotional reflection. Jeremy speaks with: Piers Morgan, Emily Bell - Professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism and a director of the Guardian Media Group, Dean Ba

6. Getting there

May 09 2023 14 mins

Getting to the truth starts with getting to the story. Often that’s easier than said than done.Many people want to control access and the stakes can be high for those trying to get past them.Revisiting difficult stories he and other journalists have had to report, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the obstacles that stand between journalists and what the Wate

7. Open the door and you’re doomed

May 09 2023 15 mins

Journalists couldn’t get to the truth with people. Some make stories possible. Others do all they can to stop them. Revisiting difficult stories he and other journalists have had to report, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the obstacles that stand between journalists and what Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein once called the ‘best obtainable version of the

8. Details

May 09 2023 14 mins

Reporting a story requires detail. But how much is enough? Or too much? Revisiting some of the most difficult stories he and other journalists have had to report, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the obstacles that stand between journalists and what Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein once called the ‘best obtainable version of the truth’. Jeremy speaks with

9. Who’s in control?

May 09 2023 15 mins

The same story can look very different depending on how it’s written and where you get it. Who's in control?Revisiting some of the most difficult stories he’s reported on, BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the obstacles that stand between journalists and what Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein called 'the best obtainable version of the truth'. Jeremy speak