ABSTRACT
If a relatively unthreatening event, such as the failed terrorist attack on the shores of Nitzanim, is the cause of such journalistic euphoria, it is easy to assume that an actual war would evoke a much stronger sense of protective identification and commitment to one’s own society. On the other hand, it could be argued that the sheer length of time, and with it the bulk of incidents, heroes, villains, and victims, and a certain “getting used to,” may lead to the construction of a less simplistic picture of reality, with shades other than black and white. A third possibility to be considered is whether the kind of participation in society and its fate is culturally specific to Israeli journalists, or whether it is also to be found in other Western societies with more sophisticated or professionally socialized press cultures.
