British journalist and Medill alumna Ruth Morris didn't think her day could
get any worse.
While reporting in Colombia, she ran out of cash, fixed a flat tire and
learned that a friend of fellow journalist Scott Dalton had disappeared
while reporting.
Little did Morris or Dalton know that on that day, Jan. 21, they would be
kidnapped themselves by leftist rebels at a roadblock in the eastern Arauca
province, one of the most violent regions of Colombia.
"I don't know if you'll believe this, but I was actually working on a
kidnapping documentary before I was kidnapped," Morris, 35, told a class of
Medill students Thursday.
She and Dalton, 34, were working on a freelance assignment for the Los
Angeles Times when they were kidnapped. Morris is returning to Colombia
this week to complete the project.
With a sense of humor, Morris related the story of her 11 days in captivity
to an audience of about 80 people in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum on
Thursday afternoon.
Embroiled in a 38-year civil war, Colombia is rife with violence, but
foreign journalists have usually enjoyed a sort of "diplomatic immunity,"
she said.
"Some people think that the war in Colombia is no longer a war of ideology
but has deteriorated into a territorial war over drug-trafficking routes,"
she said.
Morris and Dalton were abducted by a 5,000-strong rebel group known as the
National Liberation Army, or ELN. They were stopped at a roadblock and told
they had to speak to a rebel commander.
Morris said her captors treated her well, surprisingly.
"We had special privileges, even though we were kidnapped," she said.
Morris' daily diet of spaghetti, plantains, potatoes and rice didn't sit
well -- she didn't eat much and began losing weight. When she managed to
eat a meal of sardines, one of the rebels offered her his portion as well.
To prevent the audience from getting a "rosy picture," however, Morris also
talked about the hardships she and Dalton fared. Moving six times in 11
days, they walked through thick jungles and stayed in makeshift camps.
"The further up we went, the further away our release seemed," Morris said.
"We thought ELN would ask for a ransom and were thinking of our families
being wiped out financially."
Morris said she blacked out the names in her address book so the ELN had no
way of finding that information.
She tried to adopt a daily routine to maintain her health, she said.
"I would get up, bathe in the river, read, do yoga to calm my nerves and
play marathon runs of gin rummy with Scott," she said.
Morris and Dalton were finally released on Feb. 1 without ransom, although
rebels had originally insisted the military halt operations in the Arauca
region before their release.
Colombian president Alvaro Uribe delivered a discouraging speech the same
day instructing the international press to "restrain" itself.
"He said he was going to press on with the military offensive, even
considering our delicate situation," Morris said. "He was telling the
country that press freedom is secondary to troop morale."
Morris encouraged journalism students to take precautions when working abroad.
"I strongly recommend that you speak with your staff about the risks
involved," she said.
Heidi Koester said she was impressed that Morris is still willing to return
to Colombia.
"She had a sense of humor through the whole thing and seemed really
genuine," said Koester, a Medill sophomore .
Prof. Jack Doppelt, director of Medill's Global Journalism Program, said
Morris gave students a good sense of the vulnerability of journalists
working abroad.
"We've always known about the dangers in Colombia, but we just don't think
about it," Doppelt said. "Now is the time to appreciate it, because those
kinds of things can happen anywhere."
http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/21/3e563016c84d4
