It is a grotesque paradox that war, humankind’s most destructive activity, has also been the inspiration for some of its greatest moments of creativity. This paradox is reflected in our responses to conflict. War is ‘evil’, but it can also be ‘just’; sacrifice can be ‘worthless’, but it can also be ‘glorious’. War undoubtedly brings out the worst in humankind, but it can also prompt episodes of extraordinary courage, compassion and self-sacrifice. The response of each writer and artist, journalist and photographer, to the challenges of war, while mirroring that of society as a whole, has, of course, been deeply personal and subjective. However, it is possible to identify three broad categories by which we may consider the ways in which war has been represented: ‘Art’; ‘News’; and ‘Propaganda’.