A photographer takes pictures of U.S.-led coalition aircraft over Kobani, Syria, where airstrikes are intended to give residents time to organize against Islamic State militants. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

How To Cover The Islamic State — And Survive -- Joel Simon, Washington Post

Sometime in 2013, as Islamic State militants expanded the territory under their control, an order came down to the local brigades: Grab any non-Muslim foreigner you can find. Western journalists became prime targets, and over the next few months dozens were captured by local fighters.

International news organizations purposely avoided covering the kidnappings. Such blackouts are intended to create space for hostage negotiations to move forward discreetly, undisturbed by the media spotlight. Yet this voluntary censorship also had unintended consequences: In late 2013, when 30 journalists were missing in Syria, there was virtually no coverage of the problem, little public awareness that Islamic State fighters were actively searching for journalists and humanitarian workers to abduct, and less recognition of the rise of a group that has now emerged as a serious international security threat.

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My Comment: If I was the head of a news organization .... I would definitely not send a reporter into Syria under any circumstances .... it has become too dangerous. At the start of the Syrian war I was able to gain the confidence of a few Syrian bloggers and video bloggers who were covering the civil war .... a small independent group of about 20 who worked together as well keeping tabs on each other in case someone found themselves in trouble and needed help to publicize their plight. Unfortunately .... this was not enough. Within a year most were either killed or imprisoned .... and the survivors made the decision to flee the country.