Women Spanish Journalists in the Coverage of the Arab Spring: Dismantling the Stereotypes of the War Correspondent

Abstract

The war context has historically been dominated by men and it isn't until the 90s onwards that the incorporation of women within the profession of conflict journalism began to get strengthen. The Arab Spring was a significant milestones in the history of the profession, since the sexual assaults to women journalists in Egypt in 2011 brought forth a widespread debate about their vulnerability in conflict zones. This research aims to study the profile, working and safety conditions of female journalists who covered the beginning of the Arab Spring for the main Spanish media. A census of the female professionals who covered the uprisings has been drawn up and a third of them have been interviewed. Among the main results, it is worth mentioning a high level of academic training, a long professional career in the profession, and a low identification with the term "war correspondent", which female professionals consider excessively masculinized. Most of the interviewed women admit having suffered aggressions during the new's coverage, and criticize the low adjustment of conditions and equipment offered by the media for personal safety. This paper aims to raise concern regarding how the double victimization of women journalists, in one side as women and in the other side as journalists, can lead to a setback of the rights acquired by them within their profession, as it happened during the Arab Spring.