Getting ugly (part two)

From Editor & Publisher:

In two separate letters to the Pentagon, the press claims
that U.S. troops are harassing journalists in Iraq and sometimes
confiscating equipment, digital camera disks and videotapes.
The Associated Press Managing Editors (APME) wrote a letter of protest
to Larry Di Rita, acting assistant secretary of defense for public
affairs. Some soldiers' actions "appear intended to discourage
journalists from covering the continued military action in Iraq," wrote
APME President Stuart Wilk, also vice president/managing editor at The
Dallas Morning News.
"These actions are unacceptable and contrary to the Pentagon's own
guidelines distributed to troops in the field," Wilk wrote. The
harassment has deprived "the American public of crucial images from
Iraq in newspapers, broadcast stations and online news operations."
Separately, 30 media organizations, lead by The Associated Press, fired
off their own letter to Di Rita, saying they have "documented numerous
examples of U.S. troops physically harassing journalists," according to
a report in Thursday's Boston Globe. The letter was signed by
representatives from CNN, ABC, The Boston Globe, Newhouse News Service,
and many others.
"It's back to the bad old days where journalists are being treated as
adversaries, AP Washington Bureau Chief Sandy Johnson told the Globe.

So sorry, guys. Does that mean there's no more "embedded" journalism?
Does that mean the media isn't being spoonfed by the administration
anymore? Does that mean reporters are actually going to have to do their fucking jobs?
It's about time. A friendly relationship between the media and those in
power is a very scary thing. Maybe they'll finally get out of bed, put
their pants back on, and go back to work. Better late than never.

Posted by flow Frazao on November 13, 2003 at 09:32 PM | Permalink