Journalist Catalina Gómez Explains War Coverage Means Looking Beyond Battles

Colombian journalist Catalina Gómez Ángel asserts that reporting on war must transcend mere accounts of combat and military movements, advocating instead for a broader focus on how conflicts reshape the daily lives of entire societies. Speaking at the Gabo Festival in Bogotá, Gómez Ángel stated, "War transcends all of society, from the field of health, education, the teachers, the nurses... What we don't understand is that covering a war is covering a country in conflict."

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War transcends all of society, from the field of health, education, the teachers, the nurses (...) What we don't understand is that covering a war is covering a country in conflict.

Gómez Ángel, who has covered conflicts including the wars in Syria and Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, received the Gabo Foundation's Recognition for Excellence. She stressed that the challenge for journalists lies in looking beyond the front lines to explain the profound ways violence alters the lives of millions. During a panel discussion with Jon Lee Anderson, Luz Mely Reyes, and Khalid Albaih, she recalled an early experience in Aleppo, Syria, where she grasped how a single conflict could be perceived from vastly different viewpoints.

"You understand that tension... each person is living that experience from different points of view. We have to tell that dual reality that is lived in conflicts," she explained. The journalist also touched upon the personal boundaries of the profession, admitting to withholding certain stories due to their personal impact or her perceived inability to report them adequately. She cited the Russian attack on the Kramatorsk station in Ukraine, which resulted in the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Amelina, as an example of a story she has not yet been able to write about, despite possessing related materials.

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You understand that tension (...) each person is living that experience from different points of view. We have to tell that dual reality that is lived in conflicts.

Fellow panelist Jon Lee Anderson noted that, over time, he found human stories to be more effective communicators of war's reality than the approaches often dictated by media outlets. Luz Mely Reyes underscored the importance of journalistic persistence in keeping attention focused on crises that fade from headlines, such as the situation in Venezuela. The discussion was part of the 14th Gabo Festival and was moderated by Artur Romeu, director for Latin America at Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

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There are many things that I have not told (...) because they affect me or because I have not felt capable.