Post Scripts: Reporters at risk

The top CNN news executive, Eason Jordan, has set off a storm of controversy and lost his job, over remarks he made recently that suggested the U.S. military has targeted war correspondents in Iraq. He resigned his job, saying he did not mean to imply that U.S. forces deliberately targeted reporters.

While his resignation may have temporarily quelled the uproar, his charges will not be easily forgotten. This unfortunate news item caught my eye since I worked with war correspondents in two wars. While such a charge never came up in MacArthur’s headquarters, there was always some conflict between the press and the Army.

A war correspondents’s job is to report what is happening on the battlefield, while troop commanders seek to control information that might cause the loss of a battle, increase casualties or provide "aid and comfort" to the enemy. It can, at times, become a tight-rope situation, even costing a promotion.

The International Federation of Journalists is accusing the U.S. of hiding behind a "culture of denial" over the deaths of journalists in Iraq, saying the U.S. must recognize its responsibilities. War Correspondents through their spokesman, Joel Campagna, says while there is no evidence the military is targeting journalists in Iraq, too many reporters are dying at the hands of U.S. soldiers because of "negligence or indifference."

They also say when journalists are killed, the military often seems unwilling to investigate or mitigate risk. While enemy fire is the leading cause of death for journalists (34 out of 54) U.S. military fire is the second leading cause of death. Eleven media people have died from U.S. fire in the last 20 months. The shelling of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad is an example where, despite being told there were reporters inside, the bombardment continued.

A French news agency reported the next day that footage by French TV shows a U.S. tank targeting the hotel and waiting at least two minutes before firing. Our Department of Defense claimed the shooting was self-defense. Reporters Without Borders said that the facts were exactly the opposite. The International Federation of Journalists based in Belgium, accused the Pentagon of a "cynical whitewash."

One of Britain’s top reporters Nik Growing, said he was speaking for a large number of news reporters when he made this statement "The trouble is that a lot of the military – particularly the Americans – do not want us there. And they make it very uncomfortable for us to work. And I think that this is leading to security forces in some instances feeling it is legitimate to target us with deadly force and with impunity."

Phillip Knightly, a famous British journalist and author considered by many to be the expert on war journalism, has stated their will be no investigation into whether the U.S. targeted war correspondents because the military has won a "clear-cut" victory over the media in Iraq by decisively controlling the battlefield.

Reuters and the BBC have said this: "We have had three deaths and they were all non-coalition nationals and they were all at the hands of the U.S. military and their reaction was the deaths were somehow justified."

This is a disgusting development, if true. I’m going to try and keep my finger on it!