Mosquitoes Dancing on the Surface of the Pond”
Australian conflict reporting and technology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12909418 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fay Anderson (0000-0002-9844-8131, Russian State Agrarian Correspondence University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 404-420 |
| Publication date | 2009-04-23 |
| 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 | 10.1080/17512780902869074 |
| OpenAlex | W1559640168 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
This article examines the impact of technology on Australian conflict reporting using the experiences and insights of the practitioners themselves. There is a prevailing belief that war and foreign correspondents are more liberated and the audience better informed as technology permits immediate communication from the frontline. The article considers the challenges faced by previous generations of war correspondents and the contrasting experiences of reporting in Iraq, analysing how technology has impacted on newsgathering, military management and reporting. I argue that the magnitude of the technological changes has been considerable, and in some cases immensely positive, but in other ways technology has not mitigated past challenges in the realm of censorship, syndication, resources and competition. At the same time the journalists articulate new difficulties with instant deadlines, 24-hour news, increased syndication, and editorial expectations caused by the imperatives of infotainment and compounded by technological advancement. Keywords: AustraliacensorshipIraqtechnologywar journalism Acknowledgements I would like to thank Stuart Macintyre and Sally White for feedback on earlier drafts. Notes 1. Memo "Abolition of Status of War Correspondent", 27 June 1945, NA, FO 1013/1911; Policy re accreditation of war correspondents, 16 December 1945, WO 204 2215, NA, UK. 2. Letter to H. K. Fenn, Chief Cable Censor, from the United Press Association, 4 March 1942, Office of Censorship, Confidential Notes to Editors, 0-12, Box 146, National Archives and Records Administration, USA. 3. Most of the Australian correspondents preferred to report as unilaterals. Embedding was adopted as an additional or complementary form of reporting rather than the primary one and less than 10 Australian reporters were embedded during the initial months of the Iraq War. 4. Memo to H. K. Fenn, 18 April 1942, Office of Censorship, Confidential Notes to Editors, 0-12, Box 14, National Archives and Records Administration, USA. 5. Letter to M. E. Antrobus, Office of High Commission for UK from E. G. Bonney, 10 September 1943, National Archives of Australia. 6. The genesis and motivations for invading Iraq were particularly divisive. The editorial stance is of course central to any analysis of Iraq coverage and has indeed always been an issue in any conflict. The journalists interviewed and surveyed did not complain of any editorial interference or mention that technological innovation impacted on the editorial line
Censorship · Competition (biology · Media studies · Political science · Public relations · Realm · Sociology · Web syndication · Law · Media Studies and Communication
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,1 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2016 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |