20 March: Dying to Tell the Story; Why frontline journalism has never been more important

Dying to Tell the Story - why frontline journalism has never been more important and never more dangerous.

In the first three months of the war in Gaza, at least 79 journalists were killed. The shocking tally includes 73 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, four Israelis who died in the initial assault by Hamas militants, and three Lebanese who were killed in an Israeli airstrike over the border into southern Lebanon. Those figures are at least partly responsible for pushing the number of media workers killed in the line of duty around the world to near record highs. At the same time, the latest census of journalists imprisoned around the world showed a staggering 321 were behind bars — the second highest on record.

What are the risks of working on front lines? How do journalists navigate the physical, psychological and editorial challenges of operating in the world's most dangerous environments?

And crucially, how do journalists deal with unprecedented political and social pressure aimed at their reporting?

In this enlightening and at times disturbing lecture, one of Australia's most experienced foreign correspondents, Peter Greste, will explain how reporters operate, the difficulties they face, and why it matters to all of us.

At the conclusion of Peter's talk, and before Q and A, Prof Tim McCormack will briefly outline the war crime of intentionally targeting journalists covering armed conflicts.