Characteristics of War Coverage by Female Correspondents

Abstract

As we enter the twenty-first century, television continues to be the dominant communication technology for war coverage. In an age of globalization, television is the tool whereby most of the world’s citizens and world governments obtain information. Television coverage plays a pivotal role in determining a story’s salience and shelf life that, in turn, can drive public opinion and can even compel an administration to act. Often, as the television coverage of an international crisis builds, the pressure to do something, anything, about it becomes overwhelming. Consequently, accurate, fair, and balanced coverage of a news event on television—especially war—is critical.