MARAWI CITY – An Australian journalist was injured Thursday after being grazed by a bullet while covering the battle between ISIS fighters and security forces in the war-torn city of Marawi in southern Philippines, Filipino authorities said.
Adam Harvey, who works for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was taking pictures of children outside the provincial capitol building when grazed in the neck by a bullet, but his wounds were not serious.
Security officials said ISIS sniper was responsible for the attack and urged journalists to stay away from Marawi which has been occupied by militants since May 23 in an effort to establish a province of the Islamic State in the city.
Many Filipino freelance journalists are also covering the strife and selling each photo to international news agencies which pay a modest P1,500 for every picture and P300 for a news article. Freelance journalists also pay for their own food, lodging expenses and car rental and have to provide their own Kevlar helmet and bullet-proof vest.
Most of them also work in dangerous condition without any insurance coverage or allowances and have to embed themselves with military forces to be able to get good photos or videos of the fighting. (Moh Saaduddin and Rhoderick Beñez)
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