Bernard Pares as a British War Correspondent on the Russian Front in 1914

Section: History of Journalism

The article describes the work of the British historian and journalist Bernard Pares as a war correspondent on the Russian front during the First World War. The study was conducted on the basis of previously unpublished sources that deal with the poorly studied period of Pares’ life and work. The background and conditions of his appointment as a war correspondent are briefly outlined, details of his transition to the Red Cross are disclosed. Long before the First World War, the Russian military command established strict parameters for the selection of correspondents and their work in the theater of operations. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich was suspicious of the presence of journalists at the front. Although in September 1914 journalists did get a permission to be at the front, they were kept within strict limits and constantly monitored. These working conditions were a priori unacceptable to Pares, who was accustomed to more independent journalistic work than the Headquarters (Stavka) could offer him. Sources testify that Pares tried to free himself from the constraints of the military command and write as he considered necessary.

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