Womans work

Francesca Borri © Alessio Romenzi

Francesca Borri © Alessio Romenzi

 

“Freelancers are second-class journalists—even if there are only freelancers here, in Syria, because this is a dirty war, a war of the last century; it’s trench warfare between rebels and loyalists who are so close that they scream at each other while they shoot each other. The first time on the frontline, you can’t believe it, with these bayonets you have seen only in history books. Today’s wars are drone wars, but here they fight meter by meter, street by street, and it’s fucking scary. Yet the editors back in Italy treat you like a kid; you get a front-page photo, and they say you were just lucky, in the right place at the right time. You get an exclusive story, like the one I wrote last September on Aleppo’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, burning as the rebels and Syrian army battled for control. I was the first foreign reporter to enter, and the editors say: “How can I justify that my staff writer wasn’t able to enter and you were?” I got this email from an editor about that story: “I’ll buy it, but I will publish it under my staff writer’s name.” “

Francesca Borri on life as a freelance journalist on the front line, from a piece on Columbia Journalism Review.

Author — John Macpherson

John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.

Discussion (4 Comments)

  1. tonemeister says:
    July 10, 2013 at 19:14

    Thanks for this John. A well written article in the CJR. Shameful treatment of freelancers. Sadly it seems to be becoming all too regular. Some similar points are made in this interview with Stanley Greene.

    http://www.photoraw.org/node/176

    Reply
    • John Macpherson says:
      July 10, 2013 at 20:07

      Yes I thought it was a very good piece. Sobering. War is mad enough but front line journalism is becoming a bizarre undertaking.

      Thanks for the Greene link I’d not seen that one.

      Reply
  2. Stan B. says:
    July 11, 2013 at 20:28

    Wow! A lot to take in there- there’s more shit flying about every which way than there are bullets!

    Reply

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