Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=04-15-03

TYPE=FOCUS REPORT

TITLE= EMBEDDED JOURNALISTS

NUMBER=8-136

PHONE NUMBER=205-4672

BYLINE=BRENT HURD

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=ED WARNER

INTRO: The world is getting an unrivaled look at war as it happens with hundreds of reporters and photographers risking their lives alongside coalition forces in Iraq. Many of the close-up images from the frontline are the result of a bold experiment that "embeds" journalists in tanks and helicopters, and on aircraft carriers. VOA's Brent Hurd takes a look at this new program spearheaded by the U-S defense department.

TEXT: Eyewitness reports from journalists bring the world face-to-face with the realities of war. During the Second World War, the voice of legendary U-S journalist Edward R. Murrow brought vivid images of a besieged Britain into the homes of millions of Americans.

///FADE IN SIRENS///

///MURROW ACT///

This is Trafalgar Square. The noise you hear is the sound of the air raid siren. A search light just burst into action off in the distance, one signal beam sweeping the sky above me now. People are beginning to enter bomb shelters. ///END ACT///

That was then, this is now:

///BLOCK ACT///

The reason was that [ARTILLERY FIRE] Wow. excuse me, I was not prepared for that. Artillery just fired. [ARTILLERY FIRE] That's pretty loud, isn't it? We are shooting back at Baghdad, that's what's going on here. ///END ACT///

VOA's Deborah Block is one of nearly 600 journalists from six continents traveling with American and British forces fighting in Iraq. As in previous wars, journalists often report from battle zones and are sometimes killed along with soldiers and civilians. This war, however, marks the first time independent reporters have literally been sent into battle.

Tom Rosenstiel (RO-sen-STEEL) is Director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a watchdog on the profession located here in Washington. He says the embedded program is unprecedented in the history of war coverage.

///ROSENSTIEL ACT///

All wars previous to this one underwent censorship review. The difference is that this is live, and therefore uncensored by the government minders. The embedded reporting system gives us 600 journalists on the battlefield in different places that provide information to us as citizens that we didn't have before. They provide 600 points of a mosaic. ////END ACT///

But critics argue that the mosaic could be flawed. Many observers say it is difficult for embedded journalists to remain objective. Greg Mitchell, Managing Editor of the weekly U-S magazine, Editor and Publisher, believes the embedded program has value. But he's cautious in his praise. He says it tests the boundaries of journalistic integrity.

///MITCHELL ACT///

One has to worry about the embedded reporters objectivity being with the troops, bonding with them and becoming close to the commanders. If you are traveling with the Army, you're being protected by them. So you are reporting on people who you owe your safety to. We saw too much of their reporting during this war where the embedded journalists on TV would continue to refer to the effort as a "we." "We" entered this town, "we" took fire, "we" captured prisoners, and so forth. ///END ACT///

Mr. Mitchell says this blurs the line between journalist and soldier and may send the wrong message.

But Tom Rosenstiel (RO-sen-STEEL) of the Project for Excellence in Journalism says despite their close contact with allied troops, journalists can maintain a psychological distance from their military escorts. He notes that many embedded journalists have reported unfavorable stories about coalition forces and sometimes even contradict assessments by U-S defense officials.

///OPT///

One such case happened on April 1st after seven Iraqi women and children were killed in a van at a checkpoint near the city of Najaf (nah-JAFF). U-S defense officials said allied troops fired warning shots, but the van failed to stop. Then they opened fire on the passengers. But Mr. Rosenstiel (RO-sen-STEEL) says an embedded journalist on the scene reported something else.

///ROSENSTIEL ACT///

There was a Washington Post reporter there, and he was actually able to tell the American public that this was actually a ghastly accident that was caused, in part, by the military not following procedures, not firing a warning shot early enough. And that is very different from what the Pentagon led us to believe in their first account. ///END ACT///

///END OPT///

The embedded journalist program is a major shift in policy for the U-S Defense Department. Today's coverage is significantly more comprehensive than it was in the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. Back then, most public information came from military briefings and a handful of reporters delivering censored reports. ///OPT/// U-S Army Major Timothy Blair administers the embedded journalist program for the Pentagon.

///MAJOR BLAIR ACT/// Our objective in executing the Department of Defense embedded program was to dominate the information flow coming out of the region. The reason we wanted to do this was based on the history of lies and misinformation that the Iraqi regime was famous for. By embedding reporters, you would have a first-hand, unbiased, factual account of what is happening on the ground, to counter any misinformation coming from the Iraqi regime. ///END ACT///

///END OPT///

Some observers say that despite the unfettered access embedded reporters have to military operations, they cannot always grasp the full story. Without the viewpoint of the other side - in this case that of Iraqi civilians or even Iraqi troops - their stories run the risk of being incomplete. VOA's Alisha Ryu is embedded with a U-S Marine Corps unit that entered Baghdad last week. She says that overall it has been a positive experience but, she feels frustration at times.

///RYU ACT///

I am completely reliant on the U-S military to get the story. There is very little movement outside the military. The restricted movement really makes us stick to one side of the story. We can't get to the Iraqi civilians. I tried numerous times to try to talk to them. But when you are in a military convoy and you're sitting in an armored Humvee and you've got five or six people around you, it is impossible to get the kind of time and trust you need to build up with those Iraqi civilians in order for them to open up to you and to get their stories. ///END ACT///

Free-roaming journalists can get different points of view. Greg Mitchell of Editor and Publisher says the problem is that only a handful of these independent journalists have reported on the war.

/// MITCHELL ACT///

When we went into this war, the editors said only part of their coverage would be based on the embedded reports. And they would have many free-roaming reporters who would operate without those kinds of limitations. Because of the dangers, almost no free-roaming reporters were operating except in Northern Iraq, and so almost all the coverage came from the embedded reporters. It's a concern. //END ACT///

Observers say that ultimately, the embedded program is a tool that can be used effectively or not depending on the media outlet. ///OPT/// Mr. Rostenstiel (RO-sen-STEEL) of the Project for Excellence in Journalism agrees and says the key is not to rely too heavily on only the embedded journalists.

///ROSENSTIEL ACT///

The embedded reporter has a limited view. They see it from the G-I view of the war. Embedded reporting is valuable only if it is leavened by or mixed with unilateral reporting from reporters elsewhere in the field. ///END ACT///

///END OPT///

The risks for both embedded and free-roaming journalists remain high. At least a dozen reporters have died covering this war, including veteran journalists Michael Kelly of The Altantic Monthly and David Bloom of the U-S National Broadcasting Company television network both of whom were embedded with U-S troops and were hailed for their coverage.

Whatever the future of "embedding," there's no doubt that some of the most memorable stories depicting the triumphs and tragedies of this war came from the journalists on the frontlines.

For Focus, this is Brent Hurd