What is the most dangerous situation you have been in as a journalist?

Answer 1

I have had four dangerous situations over 30 years in the industry as a TV news cameraman/journalist. The third was the worst.

The first in 1970 was when covering a large fire in Melbourne. A large beam fell down and separated another cameraman and me inside the burning building. We had to both find our separate ways out.

The second was about 8 months later. The same cameraman and I were crossing a railway line going closer to a siege between a thief and the police at a sports store. A shot rang out and the bullet went between the two of us. We were only 18 inches apart,

The third was in February 1973 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the Second Indochina (Vietnam) War. The Khmer Rouge were firing 105mm artillery rounds into Phnom Penh. I was filming the explosions, fires, carnage and people running away when a round exploded about 10 feet away from me on the road, level with me. Because the round was level with me the blast pattern of the shrapnel missed me, but the concussion blew me over. The death toll for that day was 196 dead and over 360 wounded/injured.

The fourth incident was also in Cambodia, I was in the field and became separated from the government troops. I wandered towards the sound of gunfire only to come across a squad of the enemy 100 meters away. They opened fire on me and I had to head in another direction and about five minutes later came across the government soldiers.

Answer 2

I was working for a paper in Virginia when the sheriff invited me to participate in a raid on a moonshine still. The sheriff, five deputies and I were approaching the still when shots rang out, one bullet just missing my head. I laid on the ground flat as I could and got a series of pictures during the gun battle. The moonshiners finally gave up.

Thre pictures received an award for the best spot news photography but I wouldn't want to go through the same situation again.