From the Front: The Story of War through Correspondents - Hardcover

This encyclopedia of wartime journalism is a sweeping visual history, pairing writings and photographs that showcase the author's considerable expertise with a sprinkling of contributions from various correspondents. Sweeney, a professor of journalism and author of Secrets of Victory, meticulously traces the evolution of wartime journalism from the days of soldiers-as-journalists, exploring topics such as the "inflated news" of the 19th century and propaganda camouflaged as news in the 20th century, military and government censorship and technological advances. Along the way, he offers interesting tidbits about the correspondents (e.g., Winston Churchill first gained public admiration as a correspondent during the Boer War) and fascinating glimpses into their struggles, hardships and dedication. Although this book is certain to gratify military and journalism historians, its appeal beyond these factions is limited: war is ugly and terrible, and Sweeney's treatment is painstaking honest. As sharp as the text is, however, it's the chilling photographs-the lifeless gazes of battlefield victims, the war-scourged landscapes-that really tell the story of combat. 174 photographs and maps.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When William Howard Russell reported to readers of The Times on incompetence in the British army during the Crimean War, the government was displeased. So it sent a photographer to Russia to prove how well things were going. Slanting and spinning war news is as old as modern journalism, a theme reiterated in this photo-heavy presentation with text by journalism professor Sweeney and an introduction by David Halberstam. Another is the extreme danger courted by the war correspondent or photographer, with many having died to get the story: such was the fate of Robert Capa and Ernie Pyle, to mention just the most famous. Theirs and other journalists' stories populate the text, which builds the difficulties of covering a war, technical or political, around a summary history of the particular war in question. The selection of photographs is ample as well, including many famous, powerful, and disturbing scenes of the American Civil War, the Spanish civil war, World War II, Vietnam, and other conflicts. This tome's range and visual emphasis will keep aspiring war journalists interested from cover to cover. Gilbert Taylor
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