What is the role of a war correspondent? What challenges await the reporter in the war zone, and how are they mitigated? What ethical obligations does one have when covering war? Faced with constant danger, violent regimes, mass displacement, and fatality, what can journalism do? Join journalists Matthieu Aikins and Luke Mogelson as they discuss their experiences on the ground in war zones. From Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, to recent reporting in Ukraine, Aikins and Mogelson have witnessed countless scenes of destruction, terror, and tragedy. At risk to their own lives, they have documented the civilian experience and amplified disempowered voices. They will share what they have seen, and why war reporting matters.

Read recent reporting by Aikins on the Taliban here.

Discover Mogelson’s writing on Syria.

About the speakers:

Luke Mogelson has been a contributing writer for the New Yorker since 2013, covering the wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine. He was previously based in Kabul as a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. Mogelson is the author of The Storm is Here (2022). He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards and two George Polk Awards.

Matthieu Aikins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Naked Don’t Fear the Water (2022). He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He was a 2020-21 Visiting Fellow at the American Library, which was generously supported by The de Groot Foundation.

Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Aikins and Mogelson will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.

This event will be followed by a catered reception.

Advanced registration required. RSVP below.