Reporting the Siege of Sarajevo

Description

The Siege of Sarajevo remains the longest siege in modern European history, lasting three times longer than the Battle of Stalingrad and over a year longer than the Siege of Leningrad. Reporting the Siege of Sarajevo provides the first detailed account of the reporting of this siege and the role that journalists played in highlighting both military and non-military aspects of it. The book draws on detailed primary and secondary material in English and Bosnian, as well as extensive interviews with international correspondents who covered events in Sarajevo from within siege lines. It also includes hitherto unpublished images taken by the co-author and award-winning photojournalist, Paul Lowe. Together Morrison and Lowe document a relatively short but crucial period in both the history of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo and the profession of journalism. The book provides crucial observations and insights into an under-researched aspect of a critical period in Europe's recent history.

Kenneth Morrison is Professor of Modern Southeast European History at De Montfort University, UK. He is the author of Nationalism, Statehood and Identity in Post-Yugoslav Montenegro (2018, Bloomsbury Academic), Sarajevo's Holiday Inn: On the Frontline of Politics and War (2016) and, with Elizabeth Roberts, The Sandzak: A History (2013). Paul Lowe is Reader in Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London, UK. An award-winning photographer whose work has been published in Time, Newsweek, Life, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Observer and The Independent, among others, Paul is the author of The Chronology of Photography (2018), Photography Masterclass (2016) and, with Jennifer Good, Understanding Photojournalism (2017).

Kenneth Morrison and Paul Lowe break new ground with this rich and compelling account of the challenges of war reporting during the four year siege of Sarajevo. Capturing the tensions and tragedy of the period, this study also prompts reflection on the nature of war reporting - the ethical dilemmas and lasting trauma journalists grappled with in their struggle to bring the desperate situation within the city to the attention of the wider world. * Elizabeth Roberts, Independent Scholar/University of Oxford, UK * Foreign correspondents brought the horror of the siege of Sarajevo to the world. In this deftly written volume, Kenneth Morrison and Paul Lowe tell the story of how they did it, through an examination of the daily life of reporters, discussion of the city's broadcast infrastructure and key critical developments that affected their work. This masterfully documented book makes use of extensive interviews with foreign reporters, local translators, stringers, fixers, and engineers, as well as archival research conducted over many years. In an era of fake news and 'alternative facts', it is essential reading for media practitioners who want to understand this critical era of journalism and will be equally vital for both scholars of the region and general readers interested in the longest siege in modern history. * Lara J. Nettelfield, Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Human Rights, Columbia University, USA *