War reporting has featured heavily in the news recently, with the death of reporter, Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlikand, as well as the efforts to get other reporters out of Syria. It is also coming up to the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.
Michael Nicholson reported from the scene of numerous conflicts throughout his long career as a war correspondent. This week he appeared in ITV's Return To the Falklands, with veteran Simon Weston, and ex-marine, Nick Taylor, where he reported on the conflict all those years ago.
Michael's newly released book, A State Of War Exists, looks at the history of war reporting through a century and a half of conflict journalism – from the Crimea to the Kevlar-wearing, technology-dependent hacks of today, trying desperately to fill the 24-hour rolling news vacuum. Along the way, Michael introduces us to the greats of his trade and looks at what made them do what they did and what sets them apart from the rest, including William Howard Russell, Frederic Villiers, Martha Gellhorn, Henry Nevinson, James Cameron and Clare Hollingworth.
You can read Michael's piece on what drives war correspondents - 'fact is they have no choice' - here.