From my view point or listening post, a potential war zone to a journalist is a place where they go to seek out new stories like Charles Darwin did when he went on voyages of discovery; discovery of species that would help string together his Darwinian theory of Evolution. He would carry with him a note book where he drew pictures and made notes of the new and different creatures he encountered, pictures and notes which he would use to build upon his theory of evolution. Interesting enough he would also collect these creatures and species for further investigation later on in his laboratory or for mere evidence of his research.
The journalists, equipped with their tools; that is, all sorts of recording and communication devices not in the least the pen and notebook, embarks on an adventure into the unknown, unknown only to anyone outside the boundaries of the potential war zone. Here is where the similarities with the Darwinian biologist start; their objective is to find and report on the remarkable new discoveries they will have made while in the field. Once in this potential war zone, the note book comes out and the pen comes into action detailing and outlining the creature of a story they have discovered.
Now, some of these stories are the beautiful kind; stories of hope and perseverance in a world of plight and adversity, these will sound and read like the Darwinian biologist’s encounter with a flower of magnificent beauty or frog or bird of exotic brilliance. But as it is a war zone, clearly the plight and adversity must prevail and without fail the journalist will find and highlight it (and maybe elaborate on it). Again like the Darwinian biologist, the journalist will slot the pending war into its place in the history of the conflict area, if need be the story will get its share of panel beating until it fits. Sporadic unrest will be documented and linked to the overall pending war, data will be collected, of pain and suffering and death, and it will be amassed and published for all their audience to consume.