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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• war reporting
• enunciative practices
• pragma-enunciative analysis
• subjectivity