Feminism in War Reporting

Résumé du document

The Era of the Velvet Ghetto: To what extent can the evolution of women's position in war reportage since the Second World War be explained by Djerf-Pierre's theory of ‘The Gender of Journalism'? This project analyses the evolution of women's position of influence within the professional field of war reportage since the Second World War, with the research question focusing upon the extent to which said evolution can be critically explained by Monika Djerf-Pierre's (2007) theory of the ‘Gender of Journalism'. Djerf-Pierre's theory itself describes three distinct eras throughout modern history in which the influence of women, within the broader field of journalism, has changed, justifying the progression of these eras by drawing upon Pierre Bourdieu's (2001) theory of ‘Masculine Domination'. What Bourdieu, in turn, suggests is that a gender's power within a specific field is predicated upon a balance of three factors: politics, economics, and professionalism, while Djerf-Pierre uses the prominence of each, the balance some might say, to serve as classification for each of the three aforesaid eras.

Extraits

[...] Though it can be deemed as exceedingly hypocritical that journalists did not realise the injustices women, most notably in war correspondence, endured at the hands of these `high places' within the press itself. One journalist who used the position of the `pretty girl in a flak jacket', as a means of overcoming the condescension it imposed, was Marguerite Higgins, whose writing depicted courageous reporter not afraid to work at the front lines" (Murray p.20). Distinguishable from the reportage of the previously referenced Martha Gellhorn, Higgins' reportage lingered upon details surrounding the equipment used by soldiers in battle, upon the strategies implemented by generals, and upon the military jargon with which they spoke. [...]

[...] This admiration is briefly expressed in Tauthail stating that: "O'Kane's style is direct, intense, and personal" (1996, p.175). Although, in contrast to Pilger's description of Martha Gellhorn, it can be insinuated that there is a personal connection between Tuathail and O'Kane, which may have influenced Tuathail's depiction, as they are both Irish and are deeply involved with international affairs. As much can be affirmed due to O'Kane being a foreign correspondent and Tuathail being a professor of Government and International Affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. [...]

[...] Thus, as a result of the magnification of gendering inside this niche sector, Djerf-Pierre's theory, as well as the ideas of Conboy and Franks, can be said to apply more so war reporting than any other form of journalism. Besides the issue of vagueness there also lies the question of geographical relevance as it should be acknowledged, when studying from an Anglo-American perspective, that Djerf-Pierre is a Swedish academic, working as a journalism professor at the University of Gothenburg, and that the article, upon which so much trust has been placed, was circulated in the Nordicom Review. [...]

[...] In particular, there are: the Era of the Token Woman (1900-1950), the Era of the Critical Mass (1950-1985), and the Era of Feminization (1985 onwards), all of which also encompass women's history in war reportage (2007, p.81). What is more, Djerf-Pierre's theory draws its reasoning from French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's idea of `Masculine Domination' which describes a gender's power and status within a social field, or in this case a profession, as being founded upon a balance of three determining factors (Djerf-Pierre p.81). [...]

[...] This means that the current era in gender representation, for both war reportage and journalism, can be labelled as the Era of the Velvet Ghetto, in accordance with the assertions made by Conboy. Conclusion To reiterate what this project has established, Djerf-Pierre's theory of `The Gender of Journalism' states that the feminisation of the field has occurred over the course of three distinct stages, falling under the labels of historical and feminist eras. The three eras themselves include: the Era of the Token Woman, the Era of the Critical Mass, and the Era of Feminization, with each of these being consolidated by a balance of three factors that are outlined by Bourdieu in the theory of `Masculine Domination'. [...]