A Register For Freelance Journalists Launches

"Freelancers need to have a voice, but most importantly demonstrate to the more traditional news industry that they are very serious about their work and that they are prepared to sign up to a stringent, but correct, code of conduct," said Vaughan Smith of the Frontline Club in London in an interview with Olivier Laurent. "We want to improve the relationship between the freelancers and the news industry. We want to improve the manner in which people perceive and understand freelancers and their roles." 

Established by Smith as a new representative body for freelance war journalists and photographers, the Frontline Freelance Register will attempt to "address the gaps in the current media landscape," as well as push freelancers to "take responsibility for their own safety and security" by following responsible newsgathering and safety standards. Over the course of the next six months, the Register will survey its members to gain a better understanding of their needs and expectations for this community.

Earlier this year, 2012 Ochberg Fellow Stuart Hughes chaired a panel discussion at the Frontline Club, which focused on today’s challenges, opportunities and risks for freelance journalists. Hughes had delved into the topic in a piece for the BBC College of Journalism, "On the Media: Unprepared, Inexperienced and in a War Zone." During the panel, Hughes questioned why so many journalists are now choosing to travel at the start of their careers, “not only to the most dangerous countries of the world, but to the most dangerous parts of those countries.” Watch the entire event video below: