Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=4-7-03

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-37344

TITLE=Studying News Coverage of the Iraq War

BYLINE=Keming Kuo

TELEPHONE=619-0936

DATELINE=Washington

EDITOR=vicki swaney

CONTENT=

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INTRO: For thousands of university students in the Washington, D. C. area, the attraction of studying here is now tinged with the stress and excitement- of studying in the nation's capital of a country at war. In student union corridors and cafeterias, and in dorm rooms, there is continual debate about supporting or criticizing the United States' war with Iraq. And as ________ reports, students studying journalism at the American University in Washington find themselves particularly immersed in the subject:

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TEXT: It might be said for student Dana Mason that it's the worst of times and the best of times to be a journalism student in Washington. Worst of times because Dana's parents in Phoenix, Arizona, worry about their daughter being in a city that may be a prime terrorist target. . But it may be the best of times to be studying journalism during a time of war: when it's not just a lesson in TV production, but also a class about ethics and reporting techniques. Ms. Mason and her classmates in the advanced television news class are trying to wade through hours and hours of press conferences and news feeds for their newscast:

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"As far as the eight-minute newscast, it's a huge challenge. There is so much news and it's breaking and changing all the time. So we start to do the newscast for a three o'clock run and between noon and three, everything can change. The President [G.W. Bush] comes out and speaks, and an hour later, there's another briefing, and it's constantly changing. In that sense, it's difficult to decide what's most important, what's the most up-to-date. We really struggle to do that."

TEXT: Journalism student Dana Mason says the war coverage has brought issues beyond just the technical challenge of editing down raw material for a newscast:

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"The whole issue of the P.O.W.s brings up a completely different issue: what do you show and what do you not show? [There are] ethical concerns about where to draw the line. They said a lot of the video couldn't be released until families were informed. But even at that point, is it still appropriate to show? Where do you draw the line? Is it okay to show Iraqi POWs and not U.S. POWs? How do you make the distinction?"

TEXT: The American University students have watched many war scene reports from the 500 so-called embedded correspondents who are travelling with units of the American military. Several of the journalism students are wondering whether this "up close and personal" coverage is as good as reports from independent or "unilateral" correspondents, who are moving around freely. Maria Daniela Zavala [Zah-VAH-lah] of Venezuela says she would choose to be one of the unilaterals:

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"I definitely would prefer to be an independent journalist. Because that's the way I could get both sides and be totally impartial. Being an embedded journalist means I would only see the point of view of the military and not the other side. At the same time, you have to be aware that to be an independent journalist, it means you're taking a lot of risks. You've seen that those who aren't embedded journalists have been killed or are missing. At the same time, that's your job; if you're a journalist, you take risks."

TEXT: Arizona journalism student Mason agrees with her classmate, adding that being an embedded reporter would lead some to be too close with their "sources":

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"I think I'm a little more concerned about what type of propaganda they may be receiving - as far as the military's control of them reporting from the front lines of our U-S military. And then be unable to fairly report both sides of the war or conflict. Travelling with the military, [the embeds] are able to make strong connections with the people they're actually covering in the battle. But are they really going to be able to get both perspectives from the war? Will they be 'spoon fed' what the military wants the American listeners to hear and see?"

TEXT: Another American University student, Suzy Park, a Korean-born American, says the school's popularity with visiting journalists in Washington has meant a special relationship with some of them, as they report as embedded journalists from the battlefields:

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"I'm concerned for those journalists, especially since we've had some of them in our classrooms talking to us. For example, we've had John Donvan of [ABC News'] Nightline just a month ago. He was telling us he was getting ready to go to Iraq. Now, whenever the whole class sees him [on TV], we worry about him."

TEXT: As Dana Mason and her classmates produce their newscast, they sometimes have to remind themselves that it's just for a class assignment. But she says the relentless reports of casualties and other war stories leave an emotional toll that causes her to rethink her interest in news reporting:

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"It's tough. You find yourself covering things that are pretty depressing. It's very emotional. It's a challenge to separate yourself from everything that's going on especially when the world is in such turmoil now. So, sometimes, I think, 'Hey, I should just do sports! That's fun!' You know? But I'd love to be a reporter. Who knows where I'll be? Probably in a small market, but [for now], it's exciting."

TEXT: Dana Mason and her classmates preparing a newscast for an advanced television news class recently at the American University in Washington, D.C. The class is among those on campus especially immersed in discussions about the war with Iraq.

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