Frontline Television News

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Frontline Television News is a cooperative of freelance cameramen formed during the chaos of the Romanian Revolution in 1989. Founded by Vaughan Smith, Peter Jouvenal, Rory Peck and Nicholas della Casa. [1] During the next 15 years they went on to film some of the most memorable images of modern television, despite paying a huge cost. [2] Altogether eight cameramen, some linked directly with Frontline News TV, others indirectly, were killed while working. [2] [3]

Romanian Revolution period of violent civil unrest in Romania in December 1989

The Romanian Revolution was a period of violent civil unrest in the Socialist Republic of Romania in December 1989 and part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries. The Romanian Revolution started in the city of Timișoara and soon spread throughout the country, ultimately culminating in the show trial and execution of longtime Communist Party General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, and the end of 42 years of Communist rule in Romania. It was also the last removal of a Marxist-Leninist government in a Warsaw Pact country during the events of 1989, and the only one that violently overthrew a country's government and executed its leader.

Henry Vaughan Lockhart Smith is an English restaurateur, sustainable farmer, and freelance video journalist. He ran the freelance agency Frontline News TV and founded the Frontline Club in London. The Guardian has described him as "a former army officer, journalist adventurer and rightwing libertarian."

Rory Peck Irish journalist

Rory Peck was a Northern-Irish freelance war cameraman who was killed while covering the events of the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis.

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Apart from providing independent news coverage of major events, many members used their military background and knowledge of local culture in places like Afghanistan to navigate dangerous battle situations and obtain pictures few other journalists could obtain. They also pioneered some technical innovations, such as using small Hi8 cameras in the early 1990s, and live satellite newsfeeds in the early 2000s.

In 2003, Vaughan Smith, one of the two surviving founder members of Frontline News TV, turned the operation into a club in London aimed at offering a gathering place for those who believe in independent journalism, a place to remember colleagues that had died and a lobby to push for better support of the freelance community. [2]

This became the Frontline Club, [2] one of the leading media talking-shops in the UK today.

Frontline Club

The Frontline Club is a media club near London's Paddington Station. With a strong emphasis on conflict reporting, it aims to champion independent journalism, provide an effective platform from which to support diversity and professionalism in the media, promote safe practice, and encourage both freedom of the press and freedom of expression worldwide.

Afghanistan A landlocked south-central Asian country

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in South-Central Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and in the far northeast, China. Its territory covers 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi) and much of it is covered by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which experiences very cold winters. The north consists of fertile plains, while the south-west consists of deserts where temperatures can get very hot in summers. Kabul serves as the capital and its largest city.

A press pass grants some type of special privilege to journalists. Some cards have recognized legal status; others merely indicate that the bearer is a practicing journalist. The nature of the benefits is determined by the type of issuing agency, of which there are three major categories: news organizations, law-enforcement agencies, and event organizers. Each type of card grants different authorizations, thus it is often necessary or desirable for reporters to hold multiple press passes simultaneously.

Kabul Metropolis and municipality in Afghanistan

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, located in the eastern section of the country. It is also a municipality, forming part of the greater Kabul Province. According to estimates in 2015, the population of Kabul is 4.635 million, which includes all the major ethnic groups of Afghanistan. Rapid urbanization had made Kabul the world's 75th largest city.

Frontline journalists who have died

James Miller (filmmaker) Welsh cinematographer, producer, and director

James Henry Dominic Miller was a Welsh cameraman, producer, and director, and recipient of numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards. He was killed by a soldier from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

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Martin John Lars Adler was a Swedish cameraman and journalist for Aftonbladet. He was a veteran, award-winning reporter known for his war reports and foreign coverage.

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The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events. It was set up in 1995 and is named after the Northern Irish freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was killed while reporting on the siege of the Moscow White House in 1993. The award is organised by The Rory Peck Trust. Both were set up in 1995 by Peck's widow Juliet Peck and his friend John Gunston, in order to provide support and help to freelancers and is sponsored by Sony UK Ltd. The Rory Peck Trust is now an internationally recognized organization that supports freelancers' rights and enables them to work safely.

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Mirwais Jalil

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Marcel Mettelsiefen German film director and journalist

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References

  1. 1 2 Loyn, David (23 May 2011). "Reporting from the Frontline - in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-02-05– via www.theguardian.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Vaughan (26 September 2005). "Dying to tell the story". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-02-05– via www.theguardian.com.
  3. ↑ Loyn, David. Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks Who Changed the Face of War Reporting. Michael Joseph (Penguin Books), 2005.
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