War correspondent

Alan Wood, war correspondent for the Daily Express, types a dispatch during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944

A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war zone.

War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the world. Once there, they attempt to get close enough to the action to provide written accounts, photos, or film footage. It is often considered the most dangerous form of journalism.

Modern war correspondence emerged from the news reporting of military conflicts during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Its presence grew in the middle of the nineteenth century, with American journalists covering the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the European newspapermen writing reports from the Crimean War (1853-1856).[1][2]

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of Journalism (2009). United States: SAGE Publications, p. 1441.
  2. ^ Knightley, P. (2004). The First Casualty: The War Correspondent As Hero and Myth-Maker From The Crimea to Iraq, United Kingdom: Johns Hopkins University Press, p. 4-39.