Journalism during War Essay Example For Students

Journalism during War Essay Andrew Ramocki Throughout history civilians have been unable to understand the hardships that war unleashes. Since ancient times people who have never seen war looked at it with only glory and honor. That is because many of them have never seen the effects of war. Not until the Civil War was there communication between the media, the military, and the rest of the U.S. For the first time the media was on the battlefields risking their lives and getting killed for the sake of the best story in tomorrows paper. Journalism is the largest form of communication during war and the correspondents risk their lives for some information. Every conflict has its own rules that govern how the newspaper reporters and film crews will work and broadcast in the country. They are also told when, where, and whom they can interview. It also depends on who is making the rules. Sometimes government information officers or military commanders do but usually they are militias or just men with guns (Parks, 7). During the Civil War the media did not have any restrictions on their movement, only that they did not receive any information from the military about troop movements. Newspaper reporters from New York were on the battlefield and in the midst of war. During the Civil War battle Gettysburg a reporter named Sam Wilkeson printed his experience from a house near the warzone. A shell screamed over the house, instantly followed by another, and in a moment the air was full of the most complete artillery prelude to an infantry battle that was ever exhibited (Lewis, 45). He explained how houses thirty feet away from him were receiving their death and Union soldiers were torn to pieces in the road with a cry of pain and horror (Lewis, 46). Henry Laouchere was a war correspondent in 1870 when the Prussians invaded Paris. He reported the Seige in the British embassy. Every dispatch that he sent out was by balloon over Prussian lines and resulted in the Daily News Circulation all over Europe (Lewis, 58). Loren Jenkins always believed and preached to her correspondents saying, No story is worth anyones life, but gauging the dangers is hard (Parks, 2). When people realized the horrors of war from reading the newspapers people would not want to go to war. In the beginning of World War II Russia was quick to go to war with Finland and it resulted in a horrific winter in November of 1939 until when Finland fell in March of 1941. Reporters nicknamed a stretch of land Dead Mans Land where two Russian divisions were annihilated by machine gun fire and artillery. The area was just a wasteland of bodies frozen in positions where they were holding a wound or huddled together (Lewis, 242) When War is being published in newspapers such stories not only turn people off to war but many militarys let the newspapers create Heroes from the war so that the politicians will be reelected when the time comes. World War I also had many great correspondents risking their lives for good news. Leon Trotsky was a correspondent during the Balkan wars in 1912. He noted that there was hardly any mobilization of forces when the media from all over the world flocked to the Balkans. They rented Hotel Rooms, filled cafs, and ministerial waiting rooms. They began to curse ministers who declined to be interviewed and military operators who were keeping secret information from them (Lewis, 130). One of the best kept secrets of war is the fact that prisoners are treated with respect and considerate care somewhere in a camp. During this war journalists witnessed a group of prisoners being forced to push wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of manure. They were not allowed to be photographed because the NCO would not allow it (Lewis, 132). When asked why they could not photograph the prisoners they told them that they were being accused of treating the prisoners badly. Instead they told the reporter to come back the next day when they were having their mid- afternoon meal. The Newspapers did however report how the quarters of the prisoners consisted of sacks of straw and sometimes just straw in a large room littered with bodies (Lewis, 133). .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .postImageUrl , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:hover , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:visited , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:active { border:0!important; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:active , .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75 .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u892ef2352efcc20c9345603c49087f75:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: King Leopold's Ghost Essay During Englands battle with the Germans at the Battle of the Somme in July of 1916 an interview occurred with an unknown soldier. He had just survived a 150 yard charge across No Mans Land. I was just mad at the time. Snipers had .