Robert Fisk

The journalist for today's Great Journalists is Robert Fisk, a war correspondent who specializes in Middle East conflicts. He switched from the Times to Independent in 1988. He speaks Arabic. What changed Fisk's life and career is the Sabra and Shatila massacre (Dance with Bashir).

"There are two great virtues brought to the table by Fisk." Verica says, "One, the quality of his frontline reporting, and two, his scope and passion of analysis."

On journalism practice:

"When you're doing a story, you can't sit in the hotel and use mobile phones. You have to get onto the street and see it with your own eyes."

On media anti-semiticism:

"One of the things you can do when you switch words around and mediate the truth is also you can change the nature of the tragedy, in, for example, the West Bank now if you read-- I'm not advising it--New York Times, you'll find the language describing this reality has changed. For example, ever since Colin Powell-- when he was secretary of state-- told diplomats not to use the words occupied territory, even though they were, but disputed territories. American newspaper refer to the disputed territories. At many times, you find that colonies for Israelis only Arab land are settlements or neighbourhoods. The wall, which is now taller than Berlin Wall and longer than the Berlin Wall, is called a fence or a security barrier. I like the security barrier very much, because that's exactly what the eater Germans call the Berlin Wall. The problem with this for me is-- I'm against all violence for any reason ever-- if a Palestinian child chucks a stone over a dispute, over a garden fence, over something you coud solve in a law court or over a cup of tea, then obviously that Palestinian is genetically violent."

On objectivity and 50/50 story:

"In Britain we don't like journalism school, but in America, what they teach you, another part of a load of cliches, is give half your story to one side, and half to another in a dispute. That's OK if you are doing a football match of covering public enquiry into a new highway around Oakland. But the Middle East is not a football match. It is a massive human bloody tragedy. I don't think we can apply these rules in a place like Middle East. Yes, I think we should be objective and un-biased ON THE SIDE OF THOSE WHO SUFFER. If we were reporting the slave trade in the 18th century, would we give equal time to the slave ship captain? No. We talk to the slaves and survivors on that ship. If we were present at the liberation of Nazi extermination camp, would we give equal time to the SS spokesman? No. I think not. We would inteview the survivors and talk about the victims. Just as I was Jeruselum, I did not give equal time to the Islamic Jihad spokesman after seeing the savagery that the suicide bomers committed. When I was in Sabra Shatila camps of 1982 and climbing over Palestinian bodies, I did not give equal time to the Israeli army who sent their Lebanese militia allies into the camps. Yes, I think we must be un-biased on the side of those who suffer, on the side of the victims. That's our job. It is not our job to treat the Middle East in the New York Times as a football match."

Show respect for the dead:

In April, 2003, an Al Jazeera crew managed to get into Basra in southern Iraq, which was under British shell fire. They came back up a long road to Baghdad-- I was only half way down there, but it was enough for me-- and brought with them the most terrible tape. They went into their studio and started feeding the Reuters in London and the ususal wartime syndication arrangements. I sat with them. I knew them, two of them Lebanese and one Syrian, and the picures show chidlren torn to pieces, women with terrible stomach wounds, all hit by British artiliery fire. As it put it over, an English voice from the other end said from London THERE IS NOT MUCH POINT IN CARRYING ON SENDING  THIS TO US. WE CAN'T SHOW IT. WE CAN'T PUT THIS STUFF AT TEA TIME. And the guy said, No, please, please, we just got back from Basra. Watch it, watch it. See what it is. And they kept on sending the tape over to London. The voice came back again, and said, THIS SORT OF THING IS OBSCENITY AND PORNOGRAPHY OF DEATH. THERE IS NO POINT IN SENDING US THIS ANY MORE. But they went on sending it, and said, watch it, watch it, look, this is what we just filmed. The voice came back again, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SHOW THIS. WE HAVE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR THE DEAD. We don't show them, mark you, respect when they are alive. We certainly don't show them respect when they are being blown into pieces by our shells. But when they are dead, by God, we respect them!"