Storyville (1997)

Season 14: Episode 10

What makes an inexperienced photographer decide he wants to cover wars in the most dangerous parts of the planet? In this documentary, filmmaker Richard Parry follows photo-journalist Robert King from his first brush with war in the Balkans in his early twenties to his Time magazine shoots in Chechnya. King seems like a danger addict and yet craves peace. His early naivity transforms itself to deep cynicism. He seems traumatised, yet continues to work. This compelling portrait asks two powerful questions about war journalists: why do they do it and how do they survive it?