War correspondents are specialized journalists who are present in times of war or armed conflict, with the authorization of the armed forces. War correspondents work under the protection of the army, on the locations of their operations. Their primary mission is to report on the war and to provide information on events relating to the hostilities.
War correspondents are protected under international humanitarian law, and are considered as civilians under Article 79 of the Second Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions.
War correspondents enjoy specific protections in addition to the common guarantees afforded by Article 75 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, such as protection against assault, murder, torture, abuse, etc. But war correspondents enjoy additional protections mentioned in Article 79(2) of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which states that specific protections are granted to them in case of detention or arrest. Under this provision, war correspondents are specifically mentioned in the Third Geneva Convention and are protected by prisoner of war (POW) status as persons accompanying the military.
[Last updated in May of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]