Journalists in the middle east

[cj]

I just received an email from a friend of mine who I have known since college. He is a 'stringer' for news channels in north queensland (the big triangle state on the right that I live in the bottom half of) ... a stringer is someone who (illegally) carries a police radio or some kind of device that allows them to hear about disasters the moment they happen and go really quickly to film it and sell the video to whichever news channel they are contracted to ...

He has been to the middle east many times in the last 5 years, mostly kuwait, israel and pakistan ... he sends regular emails, and calls from his cellphone occasionally ... I have always told him he is fucking insane, but he gets paid around $1000 USD per day which is almost $2000 dollars in our currency ... more than any other job he has ever had or aimed to have.

He was in a restaurant half an hour before a bomb exploded there about 8 (?) months ago or so ... sent back photos of the building half collapsed, and a story about how he'd almost been killed, but not told with fear or anything, but excited because the more dangerous, the better the video ...

I just got this email from him:

Hi all,

Well he's the email I guess most of you expected months ago.

Yes, I'm off to the Middle East. From what I understand, I'm heading to
Kuwait City for a while, and then to Al Basrah in Southern Iraq when it
cools a bit more. I should be over there for around a month.

This one won't be a "Five Star Hotel" job. Be lucky to get a good shower
once a week from what I understand. Lucky I love the great outdoors.
About time I earned what they pay me hey?

I'll be doing rotating with the others, doing the satellite uplink and
live camera work.

For those of you with concerns, we will have our own armed security
traveling with us, and under their direction.

I will do my best to get emails out, and with luck, a few photos as
well. I won't be taking my laptop, so you will get them when I can.

Also, as you can imagine, my mobile will be all but useless, so don't
bother wasting the call. This also means I won't be able to check my
messagebank.

Well, wish me luck, and see you all in a month.

ARE JOURNALISTS FUCKING INSANE?!?!?

One of the first casualties of this war was an australian journalist from a taxi suicide bomber, in the eyes of the iraqui army a journalist is considered a soldier of war and is fair game ...

Why are there so many journalists over there anyway?? I know we need to know information and in many ways its good, but where is the limit?

We saw on the tv, in full detail, video of bodies of dead soldiers. do we REALLY need to see this?!?!?!

would any of you consider being a journalist in the middle east right now?!!?