ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes journalistic practices through a case study: The months-long coverage in 2016 from the sprawling border camp of Idomeni, the tiny Greek village that became a flashpoint and a global symbol of the refugee crisis in the eastern Mediterranean after border closures starting in central Europe trickled down the “Balkan route” and stranded tens of thousands of migrants in a field right up against the new barbed-wire border fence. Both authors spent weeks on end in Idomeni, churning out multiple stories a day for local and worldwide audiences. With insightful study and poignant recollections, they reveal challenges that shaped reporting at the height of the crisis, especially the damaging trauma for journalists who relived the tearful refugees’ own traumas and the ethical concerns of avoiding personal involvement when many of their interviewees came to rely on their presence for information and help (especially since one of the authors spoke Arabic). The journalists’ arduous professional boundary-setting work illustrates the paradoxes of today's global journalism.
