In this Book
- Journalists under Fire: The Psychological Hazards of Covering War
- Book
- 2006
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
Outstanding Academic Title for 2007, Choice MagazineAs journalists in Iraq and other hot spots around the world continue to face harrowing dangers and personal threats, neuropsychiatrist Anthony Feinstein offers a timely and important exploration into the psychological damage of those who, armed only with pen, tape recorder, or camera, bear witness to horror. Based on a series of recent studies investigating the emotional impact of war on the profession, Journalists under Fire breaks new ground in the study of trauma-related disorders. Feinstein opens with an overview of the life-threatening hazards war reporters face—abductions, mock executions, the deaths of close colleagues—and discusses their psychological consequences: post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, deterioration of personal relationships, and substance abuse. In recounting the experiences of reporters who encounter trauma on the job, Feinstein observes that few adequate support systems are in place for them. He tells the stories of media veterans who have "seen it all," only to find themselves and their employers blindsided by psychological aftershocks. The book explores the biological and psychological factors that motivate journalists to take extraordinary risks. Feinstein looks into the psyches of freelancers who wade into war zones with little or no financial backing; he examines the different stresses encountered by women working in a historically male-dominated profession; and he probes the effects of the September 11 attacks on reporters who thought they had sworn off conflict reporting. His interviews with many of this generation's greatest reporters, photographers, and videographers often reveal extraordinary resilience in the face of adversity. Journalists under Fire is a look behind the public persona of war journalists at a time when the profession faces unprecedented risk. Plucking common threads from disparate stories, Feinstein weaves a narrative that is as fascinating to read as it is sobering to contemplate. What emerges are unique insights into lives lived dangerously.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xiv
- 1 A Hazardous Profession
- pp. 1-23
- 3 Why Take the Risks?
- pp. 46-71
- 4 Depression, Drink, and Drugs
- pp. 72-88
- 5 Freelance War Journalists
- pp. 89-114
- 6 War, Women, Wives, and Widows
- pp. 115-135
- 8 The Iraq War: In Bed with the Military
- pp. 155-181
- Suggested Reading
- pp. 187-189
Additional Information
ISBN
9780801889356
Related ISBN(s)
9780801884412
MARC Record
OCLC
213305598
Pages
216
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No