Notes of a War Correspondent

Triathlon Forum
1

The paradigm of the 24-hour war causes journalists, cameramen and producers to be right there, on the scene, giving it to us live, before another network gets the story, irrespective of the dangers. Is it this CNN-style coverage that’s caused many journalists, Arab and Western, to lose their lives in this war?

I don’t think so. Journalists have been losing their lives in many wars. Journalists have felt compelled to be right there, on the scene, for quite a while. Dedicated print journalists have been dying on battlefields long before TV coverage turned war into sport. Not that every risk undertaken by the media is noble and not that ratings and sensational coverage are never the motivation behind people putting themselves and others at risk, but I think on the whole most of the journalists out there risking their lives are more interested in documenting the truth, and that’s what they’re giving their lives for.

(btw, I heartily recommend another book from a former war correspondent: “War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning”, by Chris Hedges)

2

Any way you view it, it is tragic. I so admire an appreciate the dedication of the journalists who try, sometimes against the odds, to bring us the story. In this war, perhaps better than any other, they have succeeded. Three days ago I read a piece on Time.com about a U.S. officer bathing in a pool in one of Saddam’s palaces: The conquering gladiator bathing in the vanquished tyrant’s fallen throne room. It was so moving I sat here at my computer with tears streaming down my face. What imagery from the horrors of war and destruction. What passionate and insightful writing. What a gift. That image will live with me forever. These journalists, they give us so much…

3

IMO this war has shown just how biased media can be, especially in the Middle East
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4

…on both sides.