At great personal risk, Colvin has ventured into the heart of the action, emerging with stories of the victims at the center of the world's conflicts. Keenly aware of the power of the media to show the fundamental horrors of war, she has employed that power to help protect those who are most vulnerable.
In telling her stories, Colvin has frequently risked her own life. While covering the war in East Timor, she fought to remain behind in the embattled UN refugee compound after journalists were asked to leave or risk being murdered. She insisted that a media presence was crucial to ensure the protection of refugees. In Kosovo, she shared trenches and went on patrol with the Kosovo Liberation Army as it engaged Serbian military forces.
Last December in Chechnya, Colvin faced even greater danger when, along with a group of Chechen rebels, she was repeatedly attacked by Russian jet fighters. As she attempted to leave the Chechen rebel camp she was forced to walk for days through desolate, ice-covered mountains, fending off both Caucasian bandits and Russian paratroopers. Though the fearless Colvin admits her experience was harrowing, she also says that it gave her the insight she needed to write forceful, realistic reports on the daily struggles of Chechens fleeing the war.