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"All bets are off in warzones"

Elizabeth Palmer and producer Erin Lyall talk about the advantages of being a female journalist covering war and the not-so-glamorous parts of the job
CBS News women on the front line: Elizabeth Palmer and Erin Lyall 04:13

Elizabeth Palmer joined CBS News as a foreign correspondent in 2000. Based in London, much of her recent work has been reporting from conflict zones in Syria and Eastern Ukraine.

Palmer has been inside the Syrian city of Aleppo numerous times since the civil war there started. The city was one of the earliest battlegrounds of the war. Palmer has escaped multiple close calls amid mortar attacks in the city, including one instance where a round fell just a block from where she was speaking to children at an outdoor market.

Questions for Elizabeth Palmer? Join her for a chat on the CBS Evening News Facebook page, Friday at 1o a.m. Eastern.

Inside Aleppo: A city torn apart by civil war 02:38

She has also spent extensive time reporting from the front lines in Eastern Ukraine since Russian-backed separatists began pushing for a split with the central Ukrainian government.

"War zones are particularly interesting to me because, I think, all bets are off in war zones. Anything can happen, and when the rules are suspended as they are, you see the very best and the very worst of humanity," she said. "It's just endlessly interesting."

Palmer credits her husband, who she describes as a "saint," for allowing her to travel the world as they raise two children.

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Erin Lyall began working as for CBS News in 2003. She is based in London and has reported extensively from conflict zones in Iraq, Ukraine and Syria.

"I'm a curious person and to be able to go where the story is happening is just an amazing thing," Lyall said.

CBS News crew detained in Ukraine 03:17

She said it is important for her to cover the war in eastern Ukraine because of the implications it has for the entire world. "These are stories that are impactful for everyone."

During her time covering the fight between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces, Lyall was part of a crew, along with CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward, that was detained by the separatists. The group was blindfolded and interrogated before being released several hours later.

In addition to producing for CBS News, Lyall runs her blog Food Under Fire, where she documents the amazing food she has found on the front lines.

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