Embedded Journalism & the Rhetoric of Conflict Reporting

• In Event: Identity and Narrative as Conflict Process

Abstract

Journalists are responsible for presenting news on conflict, shaping when and how news appears (Bartholomé et al., 2015), and for verifying and selecting what information is essential for public consumption (Douglas, 1992; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2013). When covering conflict, the stakes are at their highest, as the way news agencies cover conflict informs citizens and influences both voter turnout and political decision making (Schuck et al., 2016). Embedded journalists (“embeds”) in military combat units provide news agencies with direct access to more information on a conflict (King & Lester, 2005) but raises ethical questions on issues of pro-military bias or potentially censored information (Pfau et al., 2004 & 2005; Ziede, 2005). Existing research appears to lack explanations as to how journalist coverage of a conflict may change after embedding with a military unit. After conducting a word-frequency and discourse analysis on the publications of journalists on the current Israel-Hamas war prior to and after embedding with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza, results found some support for changes in focus on military operations, the coverage of death and casualties, and overall journalist “clout” in the language of their publications. The results, in addition to implications for enhancing embedded journalist programs and the potential for future research, are included in the discussion.

Author

• Kat Smith