The Compelling Story of the White/Western Activist in the War Zone: Examining Race, Neutrality, and Exceptionalism in Citizen Journalism

Abstract

This article explores the racialized dimensions of the witnessing, documenting and reporting practices of White/Western activists. Drawing from in-depth interviews conducted with Canadian activists who have travelled mainly to Palestine and Iraq to report on the effects of military violence, it considers how racialized power is (re)produced through their practices. The article weaves postcolonial feminist theory, scholarship on citizenship journalism and narrative data. It explores several pitfalls that activists encounter in their representational practices, showing how easily and frequently they slide into a position of dominance. It asserts the need for an ongoing critique of the taken-for-granted virtues of “alternative” or “independent” media practices by nonprofessional or “citizen” journalists. Specifically, it challenges the prevalent notion that citizen journalism is a sure means to subvert power relations.