Overview

Based on original research and interviews with a range of journalists, this book looks at the changing nature of war reporting. Technology is rapidly transforming the very way in which journalists report from wars. We have witnessed a change in the gender profile of war correspondents as more and more women enter the field -Christiane Amanpour (CNN), Kate Adie (BBC) and Maggie O'Kane (The Guardian). Increasingly, the profession is being defined by a ""star system"" with a hierarchy of status, pay and profile. How do all these shifts affect the way wars are reported? The book analyzes the salient issues surrounding war corresponding. It examines the cultural role of the war reporter, the use of propaganda, the relationship between the military and the media, and the notion of ""worthy"" and ""unworthy"" wars. It compares and contrasts the coverage of the Vietnam War, and looks at how war correspondents are portrayed in actual accounts and in fictional representations. It considers how the ideals of journalism - objectivity, news values, journalist-source relationship - work in tension with the demands of the job - media competition, military censorship, political propaganda.

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9780745314495

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Reviews

Given the tense state of the world, this volume could not come at a better time. McLaughlin reviews the historical background of war correspondents, their role in the war zone (from the Crimea to Korea, journalists and the military since Vietnam, and lessons learned in the Kosovo crisis), and--especially relevant now--their varied roles in times of crisis (reporting on the Cold War and the new world order, objectivity and the journalism of attachment, and what needs to be changed). McLaughlin includes several appendixes: recommendations to news organizations concerning journalist safety and information about surviving in hostile regions, the UK military's rules for media reporting, and US military ground rules for media reporting of the Persian Gulf War. Though the context is largely British, the book offers broadly useful and insightful suggestions on how the always-tense relationship between fighting forces and reporting media can be made more productive and efficient. Collections supporting work in journalism and mass media at the upper-division undergraduate level and above. -- C. Sterling, George Washington University in CHOICE

Author Information

Greg McLaughlin is Lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Ulster (Coleraine Campus). His research interests are in journalism studies, particularly the role of the news media in war and conflict.

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