The issue of organizing the work of domestic and foreign war correspondents in the Balkan theater of the Russo-Turkish campaign

one of the least studied issues of domestic military history remains the question dedicated to the functioning of the institute of war correspondents during the battles on the Balkan Peninsula. The Russo-Turkish War differed from usual campaigns, demonstrating in many respects a contradictory and even paradoxical nature. It was, perhaps, the first military action in the history of the Russian Empire that emerged independent of the will of the monarch and his closest entourage, being provoked by the powerful pressure of public consciousness. It was in this extraordinary situation in Russia that the influence of public opinion gained strength, effectively forcing the government to support the struggle of co-religious Slavs and to begin a military operation. The heightened interest of Russian society and the press in the events unfolding in the Balkans brought to the forefront the issue of the activities of correspondents accredited with the active army.

war correspondents, Balkan conflict, Russo-Turkish War, position of the Russian press, role of the press in shaping public opinion