Reporting War: Journalism In Wartime

by Stuart Allan (Editor), Barbie Zelizer (Editor)

Reporting War explores the social responsibilities of the journalist during times of military conflict. News media treatments of international crises, especially the one underway in Iraq, are increasingly becoming the subject of public controversy, and discussion is urgently needed. Each of this book's contributors challenges familiar assumptions about war reporting from a distinctive perspective. An array of pressing issues associated with conflicts over recent years are identified and critiqued, always with an eye to what they can tell us about improving journalism today. Special attention is devoted to recent changes in journalistic forms and practices, and the ways in which they are shaping the visual culture of war, and issues discussed, amongst many, include: The book raises important questions about the very future of journalism during wartime, questions which demand public dialogue and debate, and is essential reading for students taking courses in news and news journalism, as well as for researchers, teachers and practitioners in the field.

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Fionnuala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5, but not quite there enough to round it to 4. Why? It’s difficult to say. There's nothing wrong with this book – it is an academic text, so there is academic writing. It's not compellingly readable, but if you know what you're in for and expect academic writing, it's really not the driest I've ever read. It's clear and engaging and certainly not dull to read, but I have got to admit that the collection of essays here was a bit repetitive, and that's what got me. I know that the book has a focus on the war in Iraq in particular, and it has a whole section dedicated to that topic specifically, but it also bleeds out into the other essays which makes me wonder what the point in sectioning it off is. Within the section itself, there was also a lot that had been said before, and it did get a little dull in that respect.

To be fair to this book, I did not read it as I usually read a book, all at once over the course of a few days. I dipped in and out over five months, reading an essay at a time, closer to what I'd be doing if I used it in study. Even so, with large gaps of many weeks between essays, I did sometimes feel like I was reading the same thing over and over.

There are, however, some incredibly good points raised and a lot of deeply interesting issues touched upon and debated. It's definitely a solid resource and there's a lot in here to think about. It is definitely not the kind of thing you would read for leisure, though.