The death of news

Abstract

Martin Bell argues that war reporting as it has been practised from the time of William Howard Russell in the Crimea is no longer possible. He describes this commentary as its obituary. Twenty-first century warfare as conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan offers no foothold for independent and free-ranging journalism. Reporters are driven back into green zones and fortified compounds where they no longer have a function as eyewitnesses. Embedded reporting is so limited in scope that it serves as little more than a recruiting movie. Wars which are fought among the people are no longer reported from among the people. The news agenda has also retreated from the real world into a comfort zone of its own. A cloud of obscurity has settled over the battlefield.