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There is a desire in the journalistic field to understand and explain reality through the voices of regular people. As much of the world’s population lives in poverty or in other ways find themselves struggling with the obstacles of life, these people inevitably become part of reality. But what happens when Danish journalists attempt to retell the stories of these vulnerable people? How do they interact with the source and convey their life in an ethical manner?Through in-depth interviews with eight correspondents, who in some way work with interviewing people in or from developing countries, this thesis seeks to pick their brains for their thoughts and ethical reflections in the handling of these vulnerable sources. Firstly, it touches upon the informants’ relationship with the Danish media ethical standards which show that despite the informants perceiving themselves as ethically observant journalists, one of them is able to refer to any of the formal rules. The thesis then portrays the informants’ thoughts in comparison to each other, to Bourdieu’s theory about field, habitus, capital and doxa and finally to theory about ethics.In conclusion the thesis summarises, that ethics cannot be generalised and that the Danish rules, which are accused of being vague, are unrealistic to implement in some cases, when the correspondent is dealing with sources who are not comparable to Danish sources, nor can specific situations be treated as standardised events, where the correspondents can check a list of boxes in order to ensure, that they have obeyed by the rules of the Danish perception of media ethics. Issues arise as the informants share some common perceptions about how to be a correct journalist which for instance include not paying your sources, avoiding anonymisation and not letting a third party interfere in the interview, but often find that these principles are challenged for instance when the source is extremely poor, when the source might not comprehend the possible consequences of speaking with a journalist or when the correspondent depends on a fixer or interpreter due to language barriers and lack of a network of sources in the given country which essentially results in a loss of control. It further proves a challenge that the correspondents are often alone in the field in the sense that they must solve ethical dilemmas without the help from editors or colleagues meaning they are their own moral guardians, and with vague ethical rules, they find themselves drawing on experience and their gut feeling when making ethical decisions in the field.

They translate interviews, they find the sources, they give the local context, and they even come up with ideas for stories. Local helpers, known as fixers, are crucial for foreign correspondents working in unfamiliar countries without the necessary language skills, network or knowledge to gather news. In spite of fixers’ decisive role in international news, they live an invisible life in the columns of the newspapers. Fixers are rarely credited and most readers do not know of them. The following thesis focuses its attention on the fixers and explores their relationship to foreign correspondents. The prerequisite for the cooperation between fixers and correspondents is that they come from societies that are different. It is this difference that makes the correspondent rely on the local competences of the fixer. However, the difference in background between correspondents and fixer also results in different ideas of journalism. Therefore this thesis asks: What do position and background matter to the relationship between correspondents and fixer, and how do they relate to its influence on their cooperation? With the basis in Pierre Bourdieu’s Field Theory the thesis examines the difference in background between Danish correspondents and Lebanese fixers. Both societies and journalism differs between the two countries. Where Denmark has a homogeneous society with a press that strives towards objectivity while competing to deliver exclusive stories, Lebanon is segregated and polarised with a press that promotes the country’s different sectarian groups and their opinions. Through interviews with Danish correspondents and Lebanese fixers, the thesis then delves into their cooperation. By going through their practice step-by-step it appears that fixers have an important role in all parts of the newsgathering. Therefore it is important for the correspondents to find competent fixers, which they search for through their network of other correspondents. Lastly the thesis returns to the difference in background to see how fixers and correspondents relate to its influence on their practice. The background of the fixer gives the correspondent the possibility to act independent and gather exclusive stories. However, the correspondents’ dependence on the background of the fixer leaves room for local influence that challenges the ideals of the correspondent. This can come in form of a one-sided group of sources, biased translations, or the general promotion of certain causes. The correspondents try to manage this through their selection of fixer and by identifying the bias of fixers. Meanwhile the cooperation with the correspondent can be a stepping-stone for the fixer to move on in their career as journalists. However the title of fixer can also keep them in the role as the local helper. In the end it all comes down to independence, and the thesis concludes that fixer and correspondent competes with and against each other to secure autonomy. In spite of their difference in background and position this is, what becomes most important for both of them.