Australian Red Cross and the Sydney Centre for International Law are running a special symposium on the laws of war and journalism in Sydney 1-3 November. More details available here.

In times of conflict, journalists and war correspondents often bear witness to the horrific, the unspeakable, and the illegal. Civilians used as human shields. Ambulances and humanitarian workers attacked. And chemical weapons turned on families and bystanders.

But how can we be made aware of possible war crimes if no one reports them? Your role as a journalist matters more than ever. And international humanitarian law — known as the ‘laws of war’ — can help you in this vital role.

They can also be a tool to keep you safer.

The inaugural Symposium, featuring of some of Australia’s finest legal and writing specialists, will help explore your role in ending impunity for war crimes, and discover how IHL can help you report safely from conflict zones. Seminars will also look at how citizen journalists and mobile videos can change the course of a conflict; the implications of ‘fake news’; and whether good reporting can lead to improved compliance with the laws of war.

This will be crucial knowledge for all correspondents and writers interested or currently working in the field.

Confirmed participants include:
• Pawel Krzysiek, Syria – ‎Head of Communication at International Committee of the Red Cross

• Stephen Dupont, Australian photographer, artist and documentary filmmaker

• Matt Wade, Sydney Morning Herald

• Ginny Stein, ABC Lateline

• Brian Thomson, International Editor, SBS TV

• Ben Doherty, Guardian Australia

• Kate Geraghty, Sydney Morning Herald/Age – Fairfax Media