Everyone is a War Reporter
Field Theory and Wellbeing Capital in Conflict Journalism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12908652 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah (0000-0003-4380-7763, Auburn University, corresponding author), Gregory Perreault (0000-0002-6645-1117, University of South Florida) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journalism Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17512786.2026.2630178 |
| OpenAlex | W7129058977 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 60 |
Using field theory as a framework and long-form interviews with journalists (n=21), in this study, we investigate how conflict zone journalists perceive the role of wellbeing within the journalistic field. We found that journalists regularly felt the need to exchange their mental and physical wellbeing for opportunities to be recognized, rewarded financially, and valued in the field. We argue for an expansion of Bourdieu’s (1986) field theory in recognition of journalists’ personal wellbeing as a capital
Capital (architecture · Citizen journalism · Field (mathematics · Field theory (psychology · Habitus · Journalism · Social capital · Social theory · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Media Studies and Communication · Peace and Human Rights Education
Class and Morality
The First Casualty
A Hazardous Profession
Online Harassment, Psychological Stressors, and Occupational Dysfunction among Journalists Working in a Conflict Zone
Showing off Your Social Capital
Taking to the streets
The epistemic injustice in conflict reporting
“It’s a jungle”
“The goal is to make you weaker”
Media Representations and Diversity in the 100 Years of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
Journalism in Chains
“I don’t get sick leave”
Conceptualizing Journalists' Safety around the Globe
The Fixers
Happiness in Journalism
Journalists and Depressive Symptoms
Mental illness among journalists
The Rules of Art
The Logic of Practice
The emotional well-being of journalists exposed to traumatic events
Decolonizing Conflict Journalism Studies
Ecuadorian Journalists Mental Health Influence on Changing Job Desire
Covering Hate
That s**t is Hard to Get Away from”
Journalism as War
Saints and witnesses
Health capital
Bearing the cost to witness
Women and news
On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health
Field insurgency in lifestyle journalism
Does gender determine journalists’ professional views? A reassessment based on cross-national evidence
Citizen Journalism” in the Syrian Uprising
Audiences and Journalistic Capital
Twitter Makes It Worse
The Journalistic Gut Feeling
Journalism under pressure in conflict zones
Reporting in Conflict Zones in Pakistan
Being the bridge
Interpretations of the journalistic field
Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder among regional journalists in Pakistan
Illusio and disillusionment
A field theory approach to international journalism
Newsroom ethnography in a field perspective
The exposure to traumatic events and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among Korean journalists
How online harassment affects Korean journalists? The effects of online harassment on the journalists’ psychological problems and their intention to leave the profession
News Media as a “Journalistic Field
What Am I Doing Here? Self-Reflexivity in Cross-Border Journalism Research
An Emotional Turn in Journalism Studies
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
Birds of a Feather
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |