The New York Times’ Brian Stelter writes about the saga of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the jailed American journalists in North Korea.

One of the dangers, writes Stelter, is “they were working without the broad safety net that a traditional news organization can provide.”

Start-up news organizations like Current TV are increasingly sending journalists to the world’s hot spots, putting a spotlight on news stories in new ways. It is, experts say, another consequence of the fragmented media landscape and the declines in international news coverage by traditional outlets.