Witnesses To War: The History Of Australian Conflict Reporting

(Paperback)

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Witnesses to War is a landmark history of Australian war journalism covering the regional conflicts of the nineteenth century to the major conflicts of the twentieth: World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Bosnia through to recent and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fay Anderson and Richard Trembath look at how journalists reported the horrors and politics of war, the rise of the celebrity journalist, issues of censorship and the ethics of 'embedding'. Interviews with over 40 leading journalists and photographers reveal the challenges of covering wars and the impact of the violence they witness, the fear and exhilaration, the regrets and successes, the private costs and personal dangers. Witnesses to War examines issues with continued and contemporary relevance, including the genesis of the Anzac ideal and its continued use; the representation of enemy and race and how technology has changed the nature of conflict reporting.

Reviews

Witnesses to War is a valuable new history of Australian journalists in conflict zones, full of anecdotes and personalities. --Canberra Times (April 30, 2011)
Richard Trembath and Fay Anderson let the colour and drama, and the vivid personalities, into their text, but keep them at the right critical distance. --Saturday Age (May 14, 2011)
This book presents a comprehensive account of Aussie reporters who covered conflicts from World War I onwards. --Courier Mail (April 23, 2011)
This thoroughly annotated book, complete with black and white plates, notes and index, is a marvellous addition to our understanding of the news media. --Weekend Australian (April 23, 2011)

Author Bio

Fay Anderson is a lecturer at the Australian Centre in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne. She was educated at La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. After graduating, Fay lived in Paris and Jerusalem for several years. Fay's PhD thesis was published in 2005 by Melbourne University Publishing and entitled, An Historian's Life- Max Crawford and the Politics of Academic Freedom. Richard Trembath teaches history at the University of Melbourne. He has co-authored All Care and Responsibility, a history of the nursing profession in Victoria, and in 2005 published A Different Sort of War about the Australian experience of the Korean War. In 2008, Richard co-authored Divine Discontent, a new history of the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Much of Richard's work has involved interviews and oral history. Currently he is researching the story of Australia's indigenous soldiers.