A new special issue has been published in the journal Media, War & Conflict in which experienced frontline journalists reflect on their careers reporting from conflict zones. The issue focuses on journalism's continued importance to democracy even in unstable conditions and when journalists are themselves often at risk of violent attack. Amid the current storms about fact-checking and online verification, the figure of the journalist on the ground remains crucial. The special issue's guest editor is Dr. Linda Risso of the Institute of Historical Research in London. As well as reflections from self-styled 'old hacks', the issue includes an overview by Dr. Risso as well as a major scholarly study of journalists' experiences in Burundi from Dr. Marie-Soleil Frère. The table of contents is below, and to read the articles click here.
Special Issue: Reporting from the Front: First-hand experiences, dilemmas and open questions
Linda Risso - Reporting from the front: First-hand experiences, dilemmas and open questions
Richard Norton-Taylor - Forty years’ personal experience
Martin Plaut - Reporting conflict in Africa
Keith Somerville - Framing conflict – the Cold War and after: Reflections from an old hack
Marie-Soleil Frère - ‘I wish I could be the journalist I was, but I currently cannot’: Experiencing the impossibility of journalism in Burundi
Ben O'Loughlin and the rest of the MWC team are grateful to Dr. Risso and all the contributors.