‘No’ can be the hardest word

"And don't bother coming back without an interview with Chirac - in English!" Those were the parting words of a former boss as I set off to cover the French elections in 1995. Lou Grant would have been proud, writes the foreign affairs editor of Sky News. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, and par for the course in the heated atmosphere of news. However, such emotional blackmail has no place when the "offered" story concerns danger. No is such a small word and yet sometimes so difficult to say, especially if it's your response to senior management upon being given a potentially hazardous assignment. These days in some conflict zones we are now the target and seen as the enemy. The new era has brought with it new dangers and new reasons to say no. Yet the "no" option does appear to be understood by senior management. They have also grasped that if you want to do safety properly you have to invest: invest in the kit, the training, the people and the attitude.