War Reporting, Overview

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

War reporting is the journalistic account of violent conflict between two or more political entities. These entities may be nations, factions, or movements that seek to use force to gain or retain power and/or territory. War reporting in democratic societies such as the United States is a social function assigned to the press that grows out of its role as a watchdog on government; thus, most domestic wars are heavily reported, while those from far-away places that do not involve the home country receive far less play. Citizens expect the press to keep them informed not only about the fighting itself but also about government policies related to the war. War reporting, then, encompasses not only the fighting itself but also elements of a society's political life. This article examines war reporting as done in a liberal democracy, the United States. War reporting in a totalitarian or authoritarian regime would have different objectives and would involve different practices. War reporting is distinct in several ways from historical or literary writing about military conflicts. Immediacy is perhaps the greatest difference between how journalists tell the story of war and how historians tell it. Journalists acquire the facts and then write and transmit the stories of a battle as quickly as possible after they occur or even while they are occurring. There is little time for thoroughly sifting through facts, weighing conflicting accounts, contextualizing, and/or conducting thorough analysis that typifies the work of historians. Furthermore, while historians have the luxury of detached study at a later time and place, journalists are generally at or near the locus of the fighting and must report what happened in real time. This is particularly true in the present day, when satellite telephones and other technological advances allow reporters to maintain contact with their newsrooms even from the front lines of battle. Finally, the journalistic ideal is for reporters to scrupulously report the facts as they are known when they file their stories. There is no literary license that would allow reporters to bend facts to make the story better or more compelling. For drama and impact, journalists must rely on the events they are retelling and their own ability to craft potent and powerful pieces of writing.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of International Media and Communications
PublisherElsevier Inc.
Pages611-621
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780080547794
ISBN (Print)9780123876706
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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