[ecrea] New book 'Reporting Conflict'

*/Reporting Conflict/** is a compelling account of the role of 
journalism in wartime. In a twenty year journalistic career, James 
Rodgers covered defining moments in modern history -- the collapse of 
the Soviet Union, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and conflicts in 
Chechnya, Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Russia and Georgia.  His book 
offers a rare, personal insight into the reporting of world-changing 
events. *

*More than this, /Reporting Conflict/ also considers other first-hand 
accounts -- such as Anna Politkovskaya's reportage of the Chechnya 
conflict -- alongside academic studies of journalism in wartime. It 
combines the best elements of academic analysis of a key field of 
journalism with an insider's view of how journalists go about gathering 
and reporting from conflict situations. James Rodgers addresses issues 
of access, objectivity and reporter involvement in an era of 
globalization, fast-changing technology, 'citizen journalism', embedded 
correspondents and 24 hour news, and examines the presence of PR, 
stressing that the role played by hired consultants should be more 
widely known for the effect it has on audiences' understanding. *

*Where some studies concentrate on analysis of the news as consumed by 
an audience, this takes an illuminating look at the way in which 
reporters gather and prepare that material - making it indispensable to 
those seeking to understand how conflict is covered today.*

/'If you're thinking of doing, teaching or studying reporting conflict, 
then read this excellent new book.'/

Charlie Beckett,  Director of Polis at the LSE & author of 'WikiLeaks: 
News In The Networked Era' & 'SuperMedia' .

/'an ideal starting place for new recruits to journalism or to students 
coming to journalism at  BA level or, with knowledge and experience from 
earlier study or work, at MA level. But it is also going to be valuable 
for academics and researchers in other fields (notably politics and 
international relations) whose subject areas are the focus of conflict 
reporting but who don't know how it works.'/

Keith Somerville,  Specialist associate lecturer, School of Politics and 
International Relations, University of Kent.

*James Rodgers is** Lecturer in Journalism at City University, London. 
For twenty years, he covered international events for **Reuters 
Television and the BBC. From 2002-2004, he was the BBC's correspondent 
in the Gaza Strip - the only international journalist then based there. 
In 2001, he reported from New York and Washington after September 11th. 
He was the first BBC journalist to report from the Iraqi village where 
Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003. *

*James Rodgers*

*Lecturer in Journalism*

*City University, London *