I’m not sure how many of you have watched this documentary before, but I would highly recommend it. I chanced upon it in the National Library, and it tells the stories of six journalists who have died while working on conflict journalism.

I think it is really worth watching, especially with the live footages of the conflict scenes, from countries like Palestine and Iraq. I think the story we would all be familiar with is the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was abducted by Islamic terrorists and subsequently killed – with his execution recorded on video by the terrorists.

Although the documentary highlighted various important points about journalism (the importance of having independent media to be a watchdog for governments, the chilling effect, etc ), I think what struck me most was how these journalists really went all out to fight for what they believed in. All of them had their own lives outside the newspaper, they have wonderful friends and families, and yet they chose to risk their lives and did what they did – they really must had great convictions.

The trip to India was of course not war journalism per se, but it does expose us to what foreign correspondence is about. When placed in an unfamiliar territory, there would definitely be inconveniences, insecurities, fears, adjustments and issues to resolve. Most of the time, we had to go the extra mile, pun unintended, just to get an interview. But these journalists didnt just went an extra mile – they took their whole life with them! And it makes me wonder about my own set of convictions, and what role it plays in my own pursuit of truth – and to what extent am I, not only able, but also willing, to fight for them?

I was really moved by some of the stories, especially when they interviewed the wives of the deceased husbands. I like how the wife of Tim Lopes, an award-winning Brazilian reporter who was brutally tortured and murdered, told her son when he asked what he can do for his father:

“Use the weapons your father used to use. Use the words.“