Original Article Journalism 2021, Vol. 0(0) 1–20 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/14648849211050442 journals.sagepub.com/home/jou “We always report under pressure”: Professionalism and journalistic identity among regional journalists in a conflict zone Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah  Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL, USA Tamar Ginossar University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA Muhammad Ittefaq The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA Abstract This study explores how regional journalists in Pakistan conceptualize journalistic professionalism, how they perceive their journalistic identities, and how local socio- political and economic realities shape their professional identification. Analysis of in- terviews with 33 journalists working in Pakistan’s Pakhtunkhwa province indicated a tension between striving for professionalism as defined by Western journalistic standards and meeting the demands of their local conditions. Participants described professionalism as providing clear, accurate, objective, and ethical coverage of issues. However, con- straints including unavailability of funding, the need to hold multiple jobs, threats to personal safety, and absence of education and training prevented them from meeting their professional goals. The journalists discursively negotiated and constituted their profes- sional identities in response to the conditions in their respective areas. Keywords Professionalism, journalistic identity, local journalism, international journalism, identity Corresponding author: Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah, Department of Communication, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham RD, N, Jacksonville, AL 36265-2796, USA. Email: shah@jsu.edu