The topic for the HSMUN HRC 2010 has become a topic of debate in Canada as Michelle Lang, a journalist for the Calgary Herald, was killed by an improvised explosive device while reporting on the conflict in Afghanistan. This comes just weeks after the release of another Canadian journalist, Amanda Lindhout, who was held captive for more than a year in Somalia.
These situations beg the question of what rights should be granted to journalists abroad? While those of us living in nations that believe in freedom of the press are outraged by the capture or death of foreign journalists, we should also question why they were captured or killed. Michelle Lang was in a conflict zone, accompanied by four Canadian soldiers who were also killed. Those responsible for her death were attacking the foreign soldiers in the country and killed a journalist as well. Were her rights violated? Or was it just a tragic occurance considering she had been provided with security? What about the journalists who sneak across national borders illegally in order to report on conditions in countries such as Myanmar or Tibet, where even the local journalists face punishment for offenses such as taking pictures that may undermine the government? Should journalists face the same rules and punishments as normal citizens who disobey the governments in these nations, or is there a difference between the situations of normal citizens and journalists?
This is a longer video about the treatment of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan in Somalia:
These situations beg the question of what rights should be granted to journalists abroad? While those of us living in nations that believe in freedom of the press are outraged by the capture or death of foreign journalists, we should also question why they were captured or killed. Michelle Lang was in a conflict zone, accompanied by four Canadian soldiers who were also killed. Those responsible for her death were attacking the foreign soldiers in the country and killed a journalist as well. Were her rights violated? Or was it just a tragic occurance considering she had been provided with security? What about the journalists who sneak across national borders illegally in order to report on conditions in countries such as Myanmar or Tibet, where even the local journalists face punishment for offenses such as taking pictures that may undermine the government? Should journalists face the same rules and punishments as normal citizens who disobey the governments in these nations, or is there a difference between the situations of normal citizens and journalists?
This is a longer video about the treatment of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan in Somalia:
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