Beyond “Fixing”: The Liminality of “Local” Media Workers in Beirut

This paper investigates the liminal position of “fixers” in global news reporting and critically examines the very term “fixer”. Building on existing research in the field and ongoing discussions about its inherent inequalities, we address the following questions: How do “fixers” enact their liminality in everyday work? What does the liminality inherent to the term “fixer” say about the positionalities of local media workers and the politics and ethics of transnational collaborations? Based on ten semi-structured interviews with local media professionals – “fixers” – based in Beirut, Dutch, and American reporters, we argue that the problem with the much-contested term “fixer” resides in the reproduction and reification of the presupposed West–East or North–South power relations and in neglecting the power dynamics following from specific roles and experiences. The term thus hinders the understanding of the complex reality of (local) media work and the diverse roles fulfilled. Therefore, we argue that to understand the crucial roles of local media workers in ongoing international conflicts, it is imperative to carefully consider this linguistic entry point. Finally, we discuss how job titles manifest hierarchies and power relations within foreign reporting ecosystems and in the journalistic field more broadly.