Fighting for the News

The incredible true stories of the first reporters from the battlefield—from Europe’s Napoleonic era to the Boer Wars of South Africa.   Over two centuries ago, newspapers first considered sending a reporter overseas to observe, gather information, and write about war. With no experience to draw upon, both newspapers and correspondents gradually worked out a procedure that has evolved into today’s incredibly sophisticated systems of reportage. Here are the gripping accounts of those groundbreaking adventurers who sought out the danger of battle in pursuit of a story.   Included within are the exploits of such journalistic luminaries as the first real war correspondent, Henry Crabb Robinson, who was sent by The Times of London to act as their ‘man in Germany’, ostensibly to follow and report the movements of Napoleon’s Grande Armée; William Howard Russell in the Crimean War, whose reports helped change the British government’s treatment of their soldiers; and perhaps the most famous correspondent of all, a young Winston Churchill who reported on conflicts in Cuba, the Indian frontier, Sudan, and the Boer War.   For any fan of history, journalism, or true-life adventures, Fighting for the News is all you need to get the full story.