Journalists face dangers no matter where they report from. A panel of Iowa journalists discussed the dangers of the profession in a discussion titled “Journalists in Jeopardy: The Hazards to Freedom of Free Press,” in Science I on Thursday afternoon.

The panel consisted of Dan Ehl, Daily Iowegian editor who was assaulted for an editorial, Dennis Chamberlin, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who worked in Poland and Russia and assistant professor of journalism and communication, and John Carlson, a Des Moines Register reporter who was embedded in Iraq, with Thomas Beell, professor of journalism and communication, acting as a moderator.

“Governments or groups of individuals are eager to muzzle the voice of the press,” Beell said. “If you are doing your job right [as a journalist] then you are going to make people in power uncomfortable.”

Carlson has twice been embedded with several units in Rhamadi, Iraq; Chamberlin was taken hostage in a Mafia feud in Siberia and Ehl was assaulted after covering a city hall meeting.

Speaking about his trips to Iraq, Carlson said just being a journalist makes a person a sought-after target.

“If they identify you as a journalist, they’re going to shoot you first,” Carlson said. “Did I feel targeted? Not until I thought about it. That’s not bravery, that’s not anything. That’s just accepting the situation.”

While photographing for large newspapers and corporations in Poland and Russia during the political chaos immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union, Chamberlin said he knew when he could be in danger, but was cognizant of the fact being an American photojournalist wasn’t as deadly as being a Russian investigative journalist.

“With a camera, you’re always going to stand out. There is usually someone who is going to take offense, but I tried to never stick a camera in someone’s face when they didn’t want it,” Chamberlin said.

Chamberlin was taken hostage for three days while taking corporate photographs of a British-owned factory in Siberia. The local Mafia, which had taken the factory’s machinery, was in a feud with the corporation. Chamberlin’s group was arrested and held by the local police, who were in a league with the Mafia. The corporation had also taken the Mafia boss’ daughter, as part of the feud. The group was used in an exchange for her, and three days later the exchange happened and no one was hurt.

Ehl, while covering a city hall meeting concerning a bar’s liquor license threatened with being revoked, wrote the article and was later verbally threatened by a male patron of the bar. Ehl went back to the bar, and the male patron, while drunk, physically assaulted Ehl. Ehl sustained 15 stitches in the head and a broken ankle. However, Ehl said being attacked was very rare.

“It’s such a rarity. I’ve been threatened by drunken school board members, but it’s just talk,” Ehl said.

When asked if they’d ever give up being in harm’s way for the story, each panelist laughed and shook their heads no.