Ms Mesquita who spoke during an interactive session in the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, (SCILS) of Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey, last Thursday, argued that the best way to maintain safety and security is to "keep a very low profile."

"I was trained to talk my way out of situations and it has never occurred to me to kill for this job not even for my security. For me to die is a possibility nevertheless when I go out I wear the pujah wrap for disguise."

Christiana, who arrived the United States (US) on her way to her current assignment in Haiti, after a two-month sojourn in war-torn Iraq,  pointed out that the first place that journalists had armed security was in Somalia. "In that particular incident, journalists were hostages for their own security. Lebanon and Sarajevo did not have. In Iraq, 23 journalists were killed, and of this number two were killed by the Iraqi soldiers while the rest were killed by American soldiers."

According to Ms. Mesquita, a war correspondent of over 30 years, several media organizations are divided  on this issue with networks groups supporting the idea while the agencies are largely undecided for ethical reasons.

During war, she explained, we rely on local people stringers and fixers because they speak the language and know the terrain best. Nevertheless the Survival and Hostile Course for Journalists is now a compulsory requirement for all war correspondent.

 "Despite the several skills we all learn at this training journalists still fall victim in cross-fire. It did not work for a Reuters press crew in Afghanistan. And it did not work for a Korean female journalist kidnapped in Iraq who has not been found till date."

Also speaking on the merits and demerits of embedded journalism, Ms Mesquita, a Brazilian citizen and mother of two, said the strategy is valid if it is complimented by independent views.

Describing her daily activities, Ms. Mesquita, a former professional ballet dancer, who first came to international limelight as the first journalist to report the Serbia, Belgrade war impact, said she works as a producer, presenter, and a correspondent and sometimes as a photographer.

"I produce an average of 10 stories daily while working on an average of 18 hours. For strategic reasons we practically live in our offices and often operate as a team from diverse cultures and educationally backgrounds. Most of us are bi-lingual because news agencies serve a diverse clientele. We are like a sausage factory, providing news and photographs for newspapers as well as video footage for broadcasters. Our job is to arrive at the scene before any other person including our major competitors which in most cases is Reuters. Some people think it is intellectually frustrating, but it is the essence of journalism."