Club members can attend workshop on rules of war, 1 pm Oct. 1

National Press Club member Anna Nelson invites Club members to an International Committee of the Red Cross workshop for journalists on the rules of war from 1 - 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the ICRC Delegation, 1100 Connecticut Ave., Suite 500.

The workshop is free and will include a chance to mingle with other journalists and ICRC staff at a happy hour afterward. To register, please email Tracey Begley ([email protected]).

The ICRC is now offering a tailor-made workshop especially for journalists, which covers how to report violations of international humanitarian law, or war crimes, and issues like civilian casualties, the proportionality of air strikes, use of drones, POWs and detention and the authorization for use of military force.

The workshop also includes issues specifically related to the media, such as how and when journalists are protected by the Geneva Conventions and how the ICRC can be of service to news-gatherers - from providing security briefs in the field to arranging for interviews with humanitarian and legal experts.

For many years, the Washington DC office of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been offering training courses to members of the military, congressional and government staffers and civil society groups designed to deepen their understanding of the complex body of law that applies to armed conflict.

The ICRC serves as the guardian of international humanitarian law and the custodian of the Geneva Conventions. The workshops offer participants an opportunity to engage with ICRC experts on a range of topics -- from the use of drones and cyber tactics to the ICRC's work in detention centers like Guantanamo Bay.