[Media-watch] FW: Study calls embedding of reporters during Iraq war a success

[David Miller]

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From: Alan Hinnrichs [

Sent: 14 December 2004 10:29
To: 

Subject: Study calls embedding of reporters during Iraq war a success 

 

By Leo Shane III <mailto:shanel at stripes.osd.mil> , Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, December 12, 2004

WASHINGTON - The decision to embed journalists with U.S. military forces
at the start of the Iraq war was a success for the military, the media
and the American public, according to a study released Tuesday.

Chris Paul, an associate social scientist with the RAND Corp., who wrote
the report, said the embedded reporters provided news outlets with an
up-close view of the combat, which allowed them to convey more
information to the public.

For the military, allowing that access built credibility among the media
and their audience, Paul said. By giving reporters uncensored access to
the troops, military officials conveyed that they believed the soldiers
would come across as professional and noble public servants.

"If [the military] has nothing to hide, they can only benefit from the
coverage," he said. "It really became good public relations."

The report said that despite conflicting goals in the battlefield -
winning the war versus observing and recording the fight - the military
and the media developed a respect for each other's work.

In the past, tension between the two has resulted in distrust and a lack
of information on U.S. forces' progress. Paul said that during the
Vietnam War, military leaders would often ignore or mislead news
reporters, and the media coverage would voice doubt in official
statements from commanders.

Defense department spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable said the goal of the
embed program was to make sure the American public was given a full and
honest view of operations overseas, and officials believe that was
successful.

"If we have any disappointments with the program it's that the news
media has not taken as much advantage of it as they could have," he
said. "Since the end of major combat operations, the numbers have ebbed
and flowed."

During major combat operations more than 500 journalists were embedded
with U.S. forces, according to the defense department. More than 100
accompanied troops during the recent fighting in Fallujah.

Aly Colon, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute in Florida, said
from a journalistic standpoint the embed program was an opportunity most
news organizations had never had before.

"For the first time many reporters were getting a clear and direct
picture of exactly what was happening at the front," he said. "They got
to see how life was lived there, see that environment up close."

Paul said embedding reporters with military units will likely become
commonplace in future military conflicts, but thinks that more
restrictions will be placed on live reports from the battlefield. In the
future enemy troops might be able to use background landmarks, satellite
signals or other cues from the live broadcasts to uncover military
positions

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