Courageous journalists?

As part of my online news class I will be attending the International Women's Media Foundation's "Courage in Journalism" panel discussion tomorrow night and I am interested to hear what these courageous journalists, who have had different enduring experiences all to get the story, have to say about their careers. Hopefully, I will gain some insight into what it's like to be an international reporter and what types of situations you come across that you wouldn't in the United States.

Just for background -- the "Courage in Journalism" awards are meant to recognize women journalists who have shown extraordinary strength of character and integrity while reporting the news under dangerous or difficult circumstances. They are meant to honor women whose contribution to journalism might influence future generations of the craft. Four women were honored this year, and I'm curious to hear what they have to say and have a few questions for them as well.

The first award recipient is Jill Carroll, the 28-year-old freelancer for the Christian Science Monitor who made headlines earlier this year for being abducted by Iraqi insurgents and held in captivity for 82 days. The things I would want to ask her are:

1. What went through your mind when this was happening? Were you scared? What do you think was their purpose behind the kidnapping (which was never explicitly explained in media reports)?
   
2. Did you think you were going to make it out of that situation alive? Did you ever have doubts?
3. What did they do to you in those 82 days? What did you learn about the Iraqis in that period?
4. Has this experience changed you as a journalist? Do you think it will affect any future stories you write?
5. Do you plan on continuing to be an international reporter in contentious regions like Iraq and take such risks again? Would you say this type of reporting is worth it?

Another recipient is May Chidiac, a broadcast journalist for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, most well-known for losing her left hand and left leg when a bomb exploded under the driver's seat of her car after hosting a show suggesting Syria's potential involvement in the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister. What I would like to ask her:

1. Did you ever fear for your safety while being a reporter in Lebanon before the accident? Are journalists in that country ever targeted or unjustly attacked? What are the rules about freedome of the press there?
   
2. What was going through your mind after the accident? Who did you think was responsible initially?
3. Would you accept the possibility of being hurt as one of the trade offs in being an international reporter in contentious regions?
4. How do you think international reporting in contentious regions will change in the future? Should future journalists fear that similar situations could happen to them?

Gao Yu, an economic and political reporter from China who was sentenced to six years in prison in the early 90s for leaking state secrets through a pro-Chinese government newspaper, will also be a part of the panel. I have a few questions for her as well:

1. What factors did you consider before writing a story using this "leaked" information? Why did you conclude that it was important to print them?
2. Were you aware of the possible repercussions of doing that? What were your ultimate goals in printing this, knowing China's restrictive media stance.
   
3. How does the media in China compare to the United States? Without a first amendment-type law how can newspapers circumvent state control in that country?
4. Having been a reporter there, do you think China every will become a democracy and promote a free press? Why or why not?

Finally, Elena Poniatowska Amor is the Lifetime Award recipient because of her fascinating experiences at both French and Mexican media outlets and founding other literary outlets in Mexico. I would like to ask her:

1. How did writing in French newspapers compare to those in Mexico? Did your journalistic standards carry across the borders? What was different?
2. Having helped create these literary outlets in Mexico, what do you see in the future of journalism and literature in terms of utilizing the Web as an outlet?
3. Since you have so many accomplishments, what would you say is the most important of them to you personally and why?

Hopefully I will get a chance to shout out some of these during the panel discussion and get a few answers back. Look here by the end of the week for a full report on what happened at the event tomorrow night.