Video: Jane Ferguson | Life on the Frontlines of War Reporting

Covering global war stories can be hard and thankless — but it’s critical work if the rest of us are to understand what’s really going on in the world. For nearly two decades, journalist Jane Ferguson has reported on hostilities across Africa and the Middle East, and she’s witnessed firsthand the changing face of her profession. Through stories of her own experiences at the heart of complex conflicts, she shares fascinating details of how she and other female colleagues have changed the way that news is captured, shared — and understood.

Running time: 14 minutes

A war reporter and foreign correspondent for PBS and The New Yorker, Jane Ferguson has covered almost every major conflict of the 21st century.

Born and raised in rural Northern Ireland, Jane Ferguson is intimately aware of the power of storytelling to overcome conflict and division. As a reporter for PBS and The New Yorker, she has been present for and written about most revolutions and humanitarian disasters in recent history, including major conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan. Throughout her career, she has worked as a frontline correspondent for CNN, Al Jazeera English, and PBS NewsHour. She has won a Peabody, an Emmy, a Gracie, a George Polk Award and two duPont-Columbia Awards.

In addition to her reporting, Ferguson teaches a class on war reporting at Princeton University. Her memoir, No Ordinary Assignment, was published by HarperCollins in July 2023.