Moral Courage

Tyranny, dictator, authoritarianism:  Journalists are our contemporary historians, bearing witness to stories that must be told. The articles  they produce seize our attention and, moved by what we read, troubling questions come to mind. And where do they find the courage to protest their home regimes in the face of what is often overwhelming adversity and punishment by life in prison or death by a government or its leader? Moral Courage builds on this narrative by asking a different set of questions that to date have received little, if any, attention. What of the person taking on a regime single-handedly, often.  Why and what might they have experienced? The author has interviewed 18 of these amazing scribes and presents a profile of each that answers those questions.Each of the world's 18 preeminent journalists (including one of the profiles is of a duo who work together) interviewed by the author have names are often unfamiliar to the general public and work in areas of the world where the people are under duress by leaders that are authoritarian. Complementing each essay are iconic photographs which give a visual context to his thesis. The essays, derived from face-to-face interviews with the journalists give new and revealing insights into those factors, professional and psychological, that motivate these daring individuals to take on opposing roles to leadership and the consequences that come from exposure to grave danger. These may include grievous physical injury, PTSD, moral injury, and prolonged bereavement for colleagues lost. What emerges from these interviews and analyses is a different, unique appreciation of the world of the war and journalist in dangerous zones of political conflict.According to Rachel Maddow, attacking the press, or attacking any source of information, anyone or anything that can offer an authoritative credible perspective other than that of a “deal leader” has to be eliminated, as that is central to the “authoritarian playbook.”  Anthony Feinstein further maintains that we can see it happening not in just one country but all around the world, and the profiles here prove that, covering  journalists under fire in 19 countries worldwide, ranging from India, to Russia to Turkey to Syria to Mexico, Israel and beyond. This ground-breaking book by a singular expert in the field will stir interest in the essential work of the men and women who, armed with only a voice and a pen, venture into the world's most dangerous places.