He reported on the Algerian War of Independence from France, and the wars and crises in Vietnam, the Congo, Iran, Lebanon, Kurdistan, Bosnia, and Liberia during his time as a war correspondent[4] Of his decision to become a foreign correspondent, Randal has said:[5] "Essentially I operated as a contrarian in semi-perpetual adversity characterized by an often perverse refusal to do the sensible and obvious and somehow surviving by sheer good luck what others considered sheer folly…With today’s instant communications and concomitant control, it is hard to capture the sense of freedom I enjoyed working abroad, especially in then-remote lands, many untrodden by previous generations of American correspondents."
[6] Randal, however, declined to honor the subpoena and eventually won the case on the basis of an appeal – thereby creating a precedent of (limited) immunity from involuntary testimony for war correspondents.
While the Washington Post allegedly paid “in excess of $100,000” to defend Randal,[7] the case is also considered a victory for the freedom of the press.
[3] The rationale behind the Washington Post’s defense (and Randal’s subpoena refusal) was simple: if the Red Cross or International Criminal Tribunal could force war correspondents to testify it “would limit coverage and endanger lives.
[8] In 2013, Randal won John Peter and Anna Catherine Zenger Award from the University of Arizona, School of Journalism.