Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the World's Front Lines, 2015 Edition

1. Going It Alone: More Freelancers Means Less Support, Greater Danger

By Robert Mahoney

A female reporter runs with a rebel fighter while evading snipers near Aleppo, Syria, October 10, 2014.

Source: Reuters/Jalal Al-Mamo

Matthieu Aikins probably wouldn’t saunter into Afghanistan again in the way he did six years ago.

“I did a classic ‘pitch up with your backpack and notebook in a war zone’ thing as a freelancer,” said the Kabul-based Canadian journalist. “I took some fairly reckless risks in the beginning without much of a clue about what I was doing or connections to people who could advise me.”

Aikins not only survived, he actually ...