Reporting the Second World War in Romania

Reporting the Second World War in Romania presents a unique overview of the Romanian newspaper journalism discourse about the major events of the Second World War, as this represents the last media, diplomatic and social intersections Romania had with Europe before Communism.

This book investigates the turbulent moments of the progressive and forced rupture with Europe, and the discursive mechanisms of its reporting in Romania. It starts with the media framing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact on August 23, 1939, and ends with the negotiation of the Paris Peace Treaty with Romania in July-December 1946, just before the complete instauration of the communist rule over the country. The authors examine a selection of case studies, including the territorial losses starting with June 1940; Romania’s participation in the Operation “Barbarossa” vs. the “switching sides” moment on August 23, 1944, when Romania joined the Allies; and the end of the war and the Victory Day. The analysis covers the radiography of the media events with their protagonists, involved parties, and official positions adopted nationally and internationally by following the flow of considered sources, the information provided, the media framing of the selected historical events, and the editorial positions when revealed.

The media studies perspective is central to this study, complemented by transdisciplinary perspectives of the history of newspaper journalism, sociology, international relations and European studies. The book offers an alternative vision on the war as seen from the margins of Europe. It presents an on-the-spot perspective of an Eastern European country, Romania, on media coverage of war, peace, and the European project across the most turbulent years of the history of the continent (1939 – 1946), shaped by three dictatorships with their effects at the domestic level.