Each day journalists risk their lives reporting from hostile environments around the world.

Seven journalists have been killed so far in 2010, according to the Committee
to Protect Journalists. 

Last
year reporter Michelle Lang of the Calgary Herald was killed by a bomb
in Afghanistan. In 2008, CBC's Melissa Fung was kidnapped in Kabul and
held captive for 28 days.

So why do they do it? What's it like reporting from areas of conflict?

On March 11, CBC News journalists Nahlah Ayed, Laurie Graham, Alison Smith and Connie Watson joined World Report host Peter Armstrong for a panel discussion in Toronto's Glenn Gould Studio.  

They provided personal perspectives on covering international hot spots - and discussed what it's like to report from danger zones.

We recognized that not everyone could make it to the event, but since our CBC online community extends across the country we provided you with an opportunity to ask these journalists your questions online.

We received some very thoughtful questions, as well as interesting answers from the journalists.

Following the deadly earthquake in Haiti that devastated the city of Port-au-Prince, thousands of families are still searching for loved ones, aid organizations are overwhelmed by the demand, and a series of aftershocks have caused further damage and concern for a vulnerable population.

The CBC's Paul Hunter and Susan Ormiston have been on the ground in Haiti providing Canadians with an in-depth look at a country in chaos.

Paul Hunter, right, at work in Haiti. (Tom Dinsmore/CBC)

Their coverage has included a moving photo gallery of sidewalk surgeries as well as reports of heartwarming family reunions.

What have they seen on the ground? Join us here as Hunter and Ormiston take your questions.

There's no question the issue of climate change has been at the forefront of the public consciousness in the last decade. Whether you believe the effects of CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been and will be devastating to the Earth or that the threat has been overstated, there is no avoiding the topic.

This year's Munk Debate focuses on the question, how should the world respond to climate change?

Featuring guests like Green Party Leader Elizabeth May speaking for and British politician Nigel Lawson arguing against, the debates hope to initiate a discussion that will power a movement toward addressing the issue.

CBC Your Voice has asked two guests to 'debate the debates' and take your questions on climate change. Read their responses.

Bio: Matt Hallat has been on the national Para-Alpine ski team since 2002. The Whistler, B.C., skier competed at the 2006 Torino Paralympics in three events - slalom (standing), giant slalom (standing) and super-G (standing).

Hallat also won three gold medals at the 2005 Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski championships, while also earning a silver medal.

Here is your chance to ask Matt some questions. Maybe you'd like to know what he's most looking forward to at the Games.Or what his physical training entails. Or how he prepares psychologically for the Olympics.

It's up to you. Send us your questions and we will ask Matt to respond.

Matt's blog on CBC.ca

Matt's website

BIO: Heather Moyse doesn't just excel at one sport. The 31-year-old succeeds at two.

In just three years, the native of Summerside, P.E.I., has established herself as one of the country's premiere athletes in the national sports of bobsleigh and rugby.

As a top bobsleigh brakeman, Moyse came within a whisker of capturing a bronze medal with driver Helen Upperton at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

And 2006 proved to be a very good year for Moyse when it came to her second sport, as she was the only Canadian athlete selected to the all-star team at the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Since 2004, the Toronto resident has represented Canada in 15 international rugby games as a member of the national women's team. Most notably, she made her debut with the national women's rugby sevens team in March 2008 in Hong Kong.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching, Moyse is preparing both physically and mentally for the race of her life.

Here is your chance to ask Moyse some questions. Maybe you'd like to know what she's most looking forward to at the Games.Or what her physical training entails. Or how she prepares psychologically for the Olympics.

It's up to you. Send us your questions and we will ask Moyse to respond.

Heather's web site

Heather Moyse's CBC.ca blog

The number of Mounties on disability for post-traumatic stress disorder has climbed significantly in the past decade, according to RCMP statistics obtained by CBC News.

Ten officers claimed partial or full disability for PTSD in 1999-2000, compared with 162 officers in 2007-08, the last year for which complete figures were available, according to figures from the RCMP's Statistics Directorate. The number of officers on disability for PTSD spiked as high as 208 in 2005-06.

But the condition doesn't just affect RCMP. Paramedics, soldiers, front-line nurses and victims of abuse, violent crimes or accidents have been known to develop symptoms. One in 10 people have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Often with time and support, people can get past a traumatic event.

Full story

What are the signs of PTSD? What steps can you take to manage the disorder?

Join us as Dr. Jacques Gouws takes your questions on post-traumatic stress disorder.

World leaders must work together to address global challenges in the 21st century because "power is no longer a zero sum game," U.S. President Barack Obama told the UN today, informally kicking off the meeting of G20 leaders in Pittsburgh this week.

In the speech, Obama highlighted the challenges facing the world, including al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, development and security of Pakistan and Afghanistan, ending the war in Iraq, nuclear proliferation, the Middle East peace process, climate change and the global economy.

Read more.

What will the leaders focus on in Pittsburgh? What should be at the top of the agenda?

National Affairs Editor Chris Hall took your questions on the G20.

Read his response after the jump.

The signs of economic recovery seem to be everywhere these days. Consumer confidence is up. Home sales and prices have rebounded in the second half of 2009 as low interest rates and improving consumer confidence lure more Canadians into the housing market.

Sales are up by double digits in most major markets across the country (they've more than doubled in Vancouver). Average selling prices have rebounded from just the start of the year and are now at record levels in most provinces. Bidding wars have returned in Vancouver and Toronto.

Read more

What does this news mean for the average Canadian? Is this the right time for buyers to get into the market? Should you sell now or wait it out?

Ozzie Jurock served as the past president of Royal Lepage (Res.), the past chairman of NRS Block Bros. He's also managed real estate companies in Taiwan, HongKong and Tokyo.

A prolonged drought has put millions of people on the brink of starvation in Kenya and the surrounding region, the United Nations cautioned Tuesday.

Children are beginning to die as a result of crop failures and rising commodity prices, while even electricity in Nairobi has had to be rationed.

"At the moment, about 19 million people are food insecure and need food assistance in the region. That number is going up as we are not expecting any rains until October," said Burke Oberle, the Kenya country director for the UN's World Food Program.

Full story.

Suaad Haji Mohamud, 31, hasn't been allowed to return to Toronto since mid-May when she tried to leave Nairobi following a two-week visit with her mother there. Kenyan immigration officials said her facial features looked the same, but her lips looked different than those of the person in the passport photo, according to a document from Kenyan authorities.

Canadian officials in Kenya confiscated her passport and concluded she was an impostor.

Earlier this week we asked if you had encountered documentation issues abroad and many of you shared tales of being stranded abroad with little help from the Canadian government.

Read your stories.

How can you avoid getting stuck while travelling? How can you protect yourself in the event of a visa problem? What can you expect from the Canadian governement while abroad?

Gar Pardy is the former head of the Canadian Consular Service. He retired in 2003 and has since served as commentator on issues of Canadian foreign and public policy.

He took your questions on protecting yourself abroad.

Read his responses.