thedrifter
03-23-03, 07:58 AM
Article ran : 03/23/2003
Wartime truce between the military, press
By MADISON TAYLOR
American troops are now on the ground heading along a barren Iraqi wasteland on a mission to impose our nation’s policy. They are doing so at a rapid clip. Marines and sailors stationed at Camp Lejeune and New River are playing an above average role in it all.
This is how it should be. It’s part of the job. And, by comparison, no one in American life should ever complain about their workplace again.
Soon enough they will likely approach a city more ancient than most can imagine. In recorded history, there has almost always been a Baghdad. It is the ancestral home of desert mysticism and art. It is a city rife with antiquities and history. Today it is the probable hiding place for a murderer, his treacherous spawn and whatever friends the first two have left.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at this point would seem to be running short on friends, particularly after America unleashed what TV newsheads are calling the “shock and awe” campaign — but said in such a way as to sound like “shock’n’awe” all rolled into one indecipherable word. Visually it’s easier to understand. This “shock and awe” is a horrifying aerial unleashing of explosives meant to jolt and alert Iraqis into offering paths of minimal resistance to our troops — a military power far greater than their own.
Hopefully that will work. Based on what most see on TV it should work. Think about it, imagine the explosions usually heard and felt around here from Camp Lejeune only magnified about 20 million or so times. That’s plenty of “shock and awe” for anybody.
The Marines and other U.S. troops don’t have the time to ponder this “shock and awe” as they move on a relentless path toward Baghdad. They are securing ports and oil wells, advancing on cities while under fire and the potential threat of chemical and biological weapons from the remaining Iraqi troops — the ones that aren’t greeting them for a ritual surrender.
Folks at home can see much of it. This is because while the troops slash through the desert, its high winds and inhospitable conditions carrying thousands of pounds of military hardware they are also toting something else: Journalists.
The term CNN and other news agencies are using for this new system is “embedded,” meaning, a reporter is placed within a group of on-the-move Marines or Army forces. With a mobile camera and satellite technology, the reporter can send back images and news of events as they take place. This is done with assurances from the media that certain things will not be reported along the way.
It’s an unusual arrangement to say the least considering it comes from two often conflicting institutions — the media and military. After all, a significant part of the military’s job is keeping secrets. It’s often the role of the media to reveal them. In peacetime they generally don’t get along too well.
Some in both worlds probably view the current agreement with mixed emotions. After all, the media and many Americans have no taste for filtered news, which is what the embedded reporter system ensures. On the other hand, it’s a method that allows people at home greater access to what the troops appear to be doing, even on a limited basis, than before. Already family and friends of servicemembers from Onslow County know which reporter is “embedded” with units of local interest. It’s the kind of coverage military families want, as long as the going doesn’t get too rough.
But there is a price to pay and a high one. Truth in wartime is a slippery area even in the best of circumstances. It’s a tough compromise. And journalists so deep in the field with military forces also put themselves at risk. Like the military forces they cover, war correspondents don’t have much time for the “shock and awe” either.
It’s part of the job and a tough job at that.
Madison Taylor is managing editor of the Daily News. Contact him at mtaylor@jdnews.com
Sempers,
Roger
Wartime truce between the military, press
By MADISON TAYLOR
American troops are now on the ground heading along a barren Iraqi wasteland on a mission to impose our nation’s policy. They are doing so at a rapid clip. Marines and sailors stationed at Camp Lejeune and New River are playing an above average role in it all.
This is how it should be. It’s part of the job. And, by comparison, no one in American life should ever complain about their workplace again.
Soon enough they will likely approach a city more ancient than most can imagine. In recorded history, there has almost always been a Baghdad. It is the ancestral home of desert mysticism and art. It is a city rife with antiquities and history. Today it is the probable hiding place for a murderer, his treacherous spawn and whatever friends the first two have left.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at this point would seem to be running short on friends, particularly after America unleashed what TV newsheads are calling the “shock and awe” campaign — but said in such a way as to sound like “shock’n’awe” all rolled into one indecipherable word. Visually it’s easier to understand. This “shock and awe” is a horrifying aerial unleashing of explosives meant to jolt and alert Iraqis into offering paths of minimal resistance to our troops — a military power far greater than their own.
Hopefully that will work. Based on what most see on TV it should work. Think about it, imagine the explosions usually heard and felt around here from Camp Lejeune only magnified about 20 million or so times. That’s plenty of “shock and awe” for anybody.
The Marines and other U.S. troops don’t have the time to ponder this “shock and awe” as they move on a relentless path toward Baghdad. They are securing ports and oil wells, advancing on cities while under fire and the potential threat of chemical and biological weapons from the remaining Iraqi troops — the ones that aren’t greeting them for a ritual surrender.
Folks at home can see much of it. This is because while the troops slash through the desert, its high winds and inhospitable conditions carrying thousands of pounds of military hardware they are also toting something else: Journalists.
The term CNN and other news agencies are using for this new system is “embedded,” meaning, a reporter is placed within a group of on-the-move Marines or Army forces. With a mobile camera and satellite technology, the reporter can send back images and news of events as they take place. This is done with assurances from the media that certain things will not be reported along the way.
It’s an unusual arrangement to say the least considering it comes from two often conflicting institutions — the media and military. After all, a significant part of the military’s job is keeping secrets. It’s often the role of the media to reveal them. In peacetime they generally don’t get along too well.
Some in both worlds probably view the current agreement with mixed emotions. After all, the media and many Americans have no taste for filtered news, which is what the embedded reporter system ensures. On the other hand, it’s a method that allows people at home greater access to what the troops appear to be doing, even on a limited basis, than before. Already family and friends of servicemembers from Onslow County know which reporter is “embedded” with units of local interest. It’s the kind of coverage military families want, as long as the going doesn’t get too rough.
But there is a price to pay and a high one. Truth in wartime is a slippery area even in the best of circumstances. It’s a tough compromise. And journalists so deep in the field with military forces also put themselves at risk. Like the military forces they cover, war correspondents don’t have much time for the “shock and awe” either.
It’s part of the job and a tough job at that.
Madison Taylor is managing editor of the Daily News. Contact him at mtaylor@jdnews.com
Sempers,
Roger