COMM 188A – The Art of War Correspondents
This class is designed to introduce students to the world of war correspondents: how they cover conflict, embed with US and foreign troops, engage with foreign cultures and the costs they incur—personally and professionally—along the way. Through readings, lectures, and class discussion, students will learn how to decipher the truth behind what they read, hear and see from past and current conflicts and to understand the dynamic tensions that exist within this genre of journalism: between the media and the military, between propaganda and fact and, between analysis and reportage. They will also learn the intricacies involved in transmitting on-air and written work from abroad, the fine points of military-embed agreements, how to locate appropriate foreign contacts, the types of television and film crews necessary to develop news-based documentaries and the logistical hurdles each form of war correspondence entails. From the early trailblazers to the current reporters still risking their lives on the ground, as a class, we will look at written work, broadcast news, the power of photojournalism and the burgeoning field of long-form television and documentary work. Students will also have the rare opportunity to hear from some of the greatest reporters and international media executives of the current era who will provide a gripping first-hand tale of their time sending people to—and being sent to—the frontlines. Through this immersion, students will be armed with the tools to embark on their own journalistic endeavor, creating a written work on a conflict zone using primary source material.
Instructor(s):
Justine A. Rosenthal
Dr. Justine A. Rosenthal is an expert in international affairs and terrorism, and the former head of Newsweek magazine’s global operations, Justine A. Rosenthal is now a multi-award-winning producer, writer, and showrunner. Her HBO documentary feature film, Only the Dead, was recently nominated for an Emmy in the Category of Outstanding Current Affairs Program. She went on to create and direct an eight-episode television series for National Geographic Channel chronicling the real-life experiences of embedded journalists. Not only is Rosenthal a proven storyteller, she is also a highly-experienced media executive. She served as editorial director of the Newsweek/ Daily Beast Company and executive editor of the print magazine. Rosenthal was previously editor of the prestigious The National Interest foreign policy journal, has taught at Georgetown University, worked at the Brookings Institution as well as the Council on Foreign Relations, was special assistant to former–Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, and was the director of the Atlantic Monthly Foundation. A Luce Scholar and Lecturer, she spent considerable time in China teaching courses on international relations theory and post–Cold War security issues. Her work has appeared in numerous publications from Foreign Affairs to The Los Angeles Times. Rosenthal received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her PhD in Political Science from Columbia University, where she was awarded Einstein and Presidential Fellowships.
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