A Private War Shows What It’s Really Like to Report on War

Marie Colvin had a swagger even before she had an eye patch. As a foreign correspondent for Britain's Sunday Times, she didn't answer to a daily deadline. She could follow her instincts to the root of a story, or the place it was inevitably headed. More than once, Colvin emerged with a full notebook in hand from the place every other reporter was waiting to get into.

Homs, Syria, was not that kind of place. In February 2012, the besieged city was too dangerous for most seasoned correspondents.