Ed Gorman and Paul Conroy Chaired by Matthew Stadlen

Former foreign correspondent Ed Gorman and photojournalist Paul Conway discuss their harrowing experiences of reporting war.

What does it do to a human to witness terrible cruelty and death, and to live in a constant state of excitement and fear? How do you report faithfully and independently what you see when you suffer the direct impacts of war and why have we learned nothing over the years about the consequences of conflict?

Gorman worked as a foreign correspondent for The Times over 25 years, covering wars in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Sri Lanka. In Death of a Translator, he writes openly about his experiences as a young reporter embedded with a mujahidin group attacking the Soviet invaders and about later assignments, all of which led him to severe breakdown and diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder.

Conroy began his passion for photography during a seven-year spell in the Army. He is now a veteran of many war situations. In Under the Wire, he tells how he and veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin smuggled themselves into Syria in 2012 to cover the conflict. A rocket attack killed Colvin and injured Conroy, who was forced to make his escape under threat of death. The story has been made into a documentary film, Escape from Homs, recently released in cinemas and due for showing on BBC Four.

Discussions are chaired by LBC radio host Matthew Stadlen, a former Telegraph interviewer and BBC presenter.