Celebrity Activists Bring Visibility to Congo, Not Relief May 27, 2011

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/05/18/Bosnia_Libya_and_the_Impact_of_War_Reporting

When asked by NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten about the visibility celebrity activists bring to the Democratic Republic of Congo, journalist Lindsey Hilsum retorts, "One of the problems in both journalism and this celebrity stuff is 'something-must-be-done-ism.'" Hilsum stresses the importance of regulating the country's conflict minerals, not increasing publicity.

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Unprecedented access 24-hours day gives the public a front-seat to conflict. But how has—and does—the media affect government decisions? Do celebrities play a role in the drive to war? How has that changed in the twenty years since the beginning of the wars in Yugoslavia?

Join the Open Society Foundations for "From Bosnia to Libya: The Impact of War Reporting on Foreign Policy." Tom Gjelten of NPR News moderates the panel with Roger Cohen of the New York Times, David Rieff of The New York Times Magazine, and Lindsey Hilsum of Channel 4 News. - Open Society Foundations

Lindsey Hilsum is Channel 4 News' International Editor. She started her working life as an NGO aid worker, working first for OXFAM in Central America and then UNICEF in Africa. In 1994, she was the only English-speaking journalist in Rwanda when the genocide started. She has been with C4N since 1996, reporting from every continent other than Antarctica.