Abstract

The reporting of war and peace has been of unique importance and fascination to communication, media and journalism scholars. This is due in part, to the dramatic nature of war and conflict, its importance to states and its publics, and the amount of time and money devoted to it by media and news organizations. The examination of media and conflict has spawned many important theoretical and conceptual debates within the academy that have implications for other aspects of communications analysis. These debates include: definitions of war and (more recently) terrorism, conflict resolution, the public sphere, political economy, information management, definitions and role of media sources, the occupation of journalism, and objectivity.