'A war without witnesses': Journalists lament news 'black holes' in IS territory

Kidnappings, beheadings, a hatred of journalists: War correspondents are avoiding the areas controlled by the Islamic State. Speaking on the sidelines of the annual Bayeux-Calvados awards for war correspondents, where three of seven prizes went to coverage of the conflict in Syria, journalists used to danger zones said reporting on areas overrun by jihadists had become near-impossible. As a result, even seasoned war reporters are refusing to go anywhere near the areas where IS operates. With a mastery of social media, these fighters believe they don’t need journalists to tell their story.

It becomes wickedly complicated when a journalist becomes a prey or… part of a propaganda machine.

Jean-Philippe Remy, journalist for Le Monde, who won’t venture into IS territory

As such, the world inside the Islamic State is largely a mystery, and that’s pretty much what they want to begin with. There has been only one news crew able to document the Islamic State without being killed or captured: Vice News. The documentary, a three-week embedded effort led by Medyan Dairieh, was criticized for being close to propaganda.

We’re verging on activism. Sometimes it looks like IS itself filmed.

Laurent Van der Stockt, prize-winning photographer

Middle East Islamic State