WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT

The Romanian War of Independence, part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), occurred during journalism professionalization and the rise of war correspondents, establishing their professional status. This study examines how neutrality and engagement are balanced in war correspondents' report...

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Main Author: Valentin Vasile
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Bucharest Publishing House 2025-06-01
Series:Styles of Communication
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Online Access:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVpWtJCZk4QbasDdeMyqLA5yIkaLSmky/view
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author Valentin Vasile
author_facet Valentin Vasile
author_sort Valentin Vasile
collection DOAJ
description The Romanian War of Independence, part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), occurred during journalism professionalization and the rise of war correspondents, establishing their professional status. This study examines how neutrality and engagement are balanced in war correspondents' reports on the Battle of Grivitsa, a critical stage of the Third Battle of Plevna (August 30/September 11, 1877). Employing a pragma-enunciative analysis, I examined the discursive mechanisms enabling war correspondents to uphold factual accuracy while integrating subjective interpretation to varying degrees. Based on a corpus of war correspondences published between August 20 and October 3, 1877, in European newspapers – Le Temps, L’Indépendance Belge, Românul, Gazeta Transilvaniei, Pester Lloyd, The Daily News, and The Daily Telegraph – this study analyses seven reports from correspondents stationed at Plevna, who provided firsthand accounts of the fighting as eyewitnesses. The findings reveal an ongoing oscillation between professional standards and personal perceptions, as correspondents bear the responsibility of accurately documenting the dehumanizing realities of war. This research contributes to understanding how war reporting – whether neutral or engaged – shapes public perceptions of conflict, while also providing insights into the development of professional practices in journalism and the ethical dilemmas journalists face in high-risk environments.
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spelling doaj-art-d8dd9260ebd14eabb23759bd654b6f302025-08-20T03:31:24ZengUniversity of Bucharest Publishing HouseStyles of Communication2065-79432067-564X2025-06-01171761https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.17.1.01WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENTValentin Vasile0https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5856-8350University of Bucharest, RomaniaThe Romanian War of Independence, part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), occurred during journalism professionalization and the rise of war correspondents, establishing their professional status. This study examines how neutrality and engagement are balanced in war correspondents' reports on the Battle of Grivitsa, a critical stage of the Third Battle of Plevna (August 30/September 11, 1877). Employing a pragma-enunciative analysis, I examined the discursive mechanisms enabling war correspondents to uphold factual accuracy while integrating subjective interpretation to varying degrees. Based on a corpus of war correspondences published between August 20 and October 3, 1877, in European newspapers – Le Temps, L’Indépendance Belge, Românul, Gazeta Transilvaniei, Pester Lloyd, The Daily News, and The Daily Telegraph – this study analyses seven reports from correspondents stationed at Plevna, who provided firsthand accounts of the fighting as eyewitnesses. The findings reveal an ongoing oscillation between professional standards and personal perceptions, as correspondents bear the responsibility of accurately documenting the dehumanizing realities of war. This research contributes to understanding how war reporting – whether neutral or engaged – shapes public perceptions of conflict, while also providing insights into the development of professional practices in journalism and the ethical dilemmas journalists face in high-risk environments.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVpWtJCZk4QbasDdeMyqLA5yIkaLSmky/viewwar reportingenunciative practicespragma-enunciative analysissubjectivity
spellingShingle Valentin Vasile
WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
Styles of Communication
war reporting
enunciative practices
pragma-enunciative analysis
subjectivity
title WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
title_full WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
title_fullStr WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
title_full_unstemmed WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
title_short WAR CORRESPONDENTS REPORTING DURING THE ROMANIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1877-1878): BETWEEN NEUTRALITY AND ENGAGEMENT
title_sort war correspondents reporting during the romanian war of independence 1877 1878 between neutrality and engagement
topic war reporting
enunciative practices
pragma-enunciative analysis
subjectivity
url https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVpWtJCZk4QbasDdeMyqLA5yIkaLSmky/view
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