In wartime, communication is of most importance, especially when it comes to shaping public opinion. In fact, journalists play an indisputable role in deciding what information, in what form, and with what content reaches the readers. This significance was even more crucial at the turn of the century, during the birth of journalism. Throughout the First World War, the media became the highly acclaimed fourth branch of power, capable of exerting a fundamental influence on the course of historical events. In my presentation, I will follow the journey of a war correspondent who visited 14 countries during the four years of the war. This Hungarian journalist was also a woman, taking on this perilous job in a world where women's social roles were primarily limited to the triad of housewife, wife, and mother. However, Margit Vészi was among the first to go to the frontlines as the only female war correspondent from the Faculty of War Correspondents of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (on the Hungarian side), representing the daily newspaper, Az Est. How did she endure the horrors of war? How did she present the events? Whom did she meet at the front, and how did she manage to conduct interviews and gather information? Where did she find the courage to fulfill her duties? Margit Vészi had more than a hundred articles published in the Hungarian-language press, and her reports were also picked up by Italian newspapers, for example. She wrote two volumes of reports about her experiences in the war.

Authors:
Gabriella Jeki, Károli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Hungary

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Gabriella Jeki is a University Doctoral Student at Károli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary in Hungary

See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule

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