Palestinian Journalism on the Ground: Testimonies from Jenin

Abstract

This thesis examines the “field” as a central site of journalistic practice through which journalists’ relationships with place, fear, and groups are formed. Focusing on Palestinian journalistic coverage and taking Jenin as a case study, it argues that the field is not a fixed geographical space but is produced through the everyday practice of journalism and shaped by relationships linking journalists to place, risk, and professional collectives. In a context where the daily practices of occupation intersect with journalists’ personal and professional lives, the field becomes an active force in shaping journalists’ subjectivities and emotional experiences, emerging as a lived experience that varies from one journalist to another. Drawing on oral history methodology, the study is based on in-depth interviews with local female and male journalists from two generations who have lived and worked in Jenin. It employs place theory, affect theory, and concepts of emotional proximity to analyze the relationship between journalists, fear, and place. The findings show that journalistic work in Jenin is constituted through dense emotional and relational dynamics, prompting a reconsideration of dominant notions of professionalism, belonging, distance, and neutrality in conflict-zone journalism. By foregrounding the local journalist’s voice, this thesis addresses a gap in Palestinian media studies and challenges reductive portrayals of local journalists.