Beyond “ Fixing
The Liminality of “ Local” Media Workers in Beirut
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7162344 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nina Rijnierse (Independent researcher, corresponding author), Johana Kotišová (0000-0003-2148-3155, Media Studies Department and the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 351-366 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journalism Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-670X • E-ISSN: 1469-9699 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1461670x.2024.2433221 |
| OpenAlex | W4405513187 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
This paper investigates the liminal position of “fixers” in global news reporting and critically examines the very term “fixer”. Building on existing research in the field and ongoing discussions about its inherent inequalities, we address the following questions: How do “fixers” enact their liminality in everyday work? What does the liminality inherent to the term “fixer” say about the positionalities of local media workers and the politics and ethics of transnational collaborations? Based on ten semi-structured interviews with local media professionals – “fixers” – based in Beirut, Dutch, and American reporters, we argue that the problem with the much-contested term “fixer” resides in the reproduction and reification of the presupposed West–East or North–South power relations and in neglecting the power dynamics following from specific roles and experiences. The term thus hinders the understanding of the complex reality of (local) media work and the diverse roles fulfilled. Therefore, we argue that to understand the crucial roles of local media workers in ongoing international conflicts, it is imperative to carefully consider this linguistic entry point. Finally, we discuss how job titles manifest hierarchies and power relations within foreign reporting ecosystems and in the journalistic field more broadly
Liminality · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Middle East Politics and Society
Objectivity, Professionalism, and Truth Seeking
Cultural Mediators and Gatekeepers
Toward a Theory of Atypical Media Work and Social Hope
Understanding Peripheral Journalism from the Boundary
The epistemic injustice in conflict reporting
Producing the News
Field Theory and Media Production
The Fixers
One Foot in Prison and One Foot Out
Beyond Puppet Journalism
Deconstructing or Reinforcing Binaries? How Scholars Position Non-Journalists in Global Conflict Reporting
Television
Fixing” the Journalist-Fixer Relationship
Translating” Russia
The Development of Roles in Kosovo
Fixers as Entrepreneurs
Baghdad bureaux
Foreign Correspondents and International Newsgathering
The Handbook of Journalism Studies
Marginal Majority at The Postcolonial News Agency
Reporting in Conflict Zones in Pakistan
Being the bridge
Beyond journalism
Our ears and our eyes
Straddlers not spiralists
Journalism beyond democracy
In Other Words
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |