ABSTRACT
It belongs to common wisdom that journalists write the first draft of history. This is particularly true for journalists reporting on conflict and violence. They provide their audiences with an immediate account of events as they unfold in places to which most members of their audience often have very limited access. It is for this reason that conflict journalists assume significant discursive authority in shaping public perceptions of conflicts. This goes for both the war correspondent reporting from conflicts overseas and for the local reporter covering a conflict in his or her own community.
