Reporters at US media outlets strongly believe that civilian harm should be a central component of broader war coverage. Yet non combatant casualties from US airstrikes were often poorly covered during the conflict against so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

These are some of the key findings of a new report by Airwars published in July 2019, entitled News in Brief: US Media Coverage of Civilian Harm in the War Against ISIS.

Authored by investigative journalist Alexa O’Brien with additional research by Beth Heron, the report draws on interviews with almost 100 conflict media specialists at major US media outlets, and on new research examining actual US media reporting of the issue at key points of the war. The study also includes practical recommendations for improved coverage during future conflicts for editors.

News in Brief was funded by the Reva and David Logan Foundation in the US, and the J. Leon Philanthropy Council in the UK.