It has been five years since civil war erupted in Syria. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. More than four million refugees have fled into neighboring countries — creating a crisis that has engulfed Europe. Janine di Giovanni, the Middle East editor for Newsweek, was embedded with the Syrian army. She says reporting on the war in Syria is unlike any other conflict she’s ever covered. And she has reported from dozens of war zones, including Bosnia, Iraq, and Somalia. Guest host Susan Page talks with di Giovanni about the brutal reality of the daily lives of Syrians.

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It can often be challenging for journalists to report on harrowing events or in difficult situations where the people involved are in need of help. Should journalists stop the reporting process to assist those around them? Or should their main priority be to continue gathering interviews to get a story back to their publisher?

The refugee crisis is a core example of this, where journalists are required to produce content for their news organisations back home, but are often in a position where they may feel like interrupting their work in order to give assistance to those around them.

In this podcast, Simon Shuster, reporter for New York based magazine Time explains the 'humanitarian temptation' that journalists face when covering the crisis.

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