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Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron who wrote (255)	4/16/2003 2:42:36 AM
From: Coz	Respond to of 20773

Ron, Speaking of the media and war coverage, I had an unbelievable CNN media viewing experience just before the coalition forces entered Tikrit. It seemed that CNN Brent Sadler wanted to get in ahead of the Army. He put together a caravan of 7 vehicles and wanted to enter the city. Outside of town, the flagged down a few cars trying to determine that it would be safe, and finally a doctor with his family stopped. The Doctor told them he heard that the US soldiers were negotiating with the local tribal elders to arrange a bloodless takeover of Tikrit. The CNN guys then decided that they wanted to get there ahead of the negotiations and got the doctor with his family to agree to escort them into town. Upon entering the city, it was obviously still under Baath party control and when the rolled up to the checkpoint they were told in no uncertain terms NOT to film. They put the camera down, drove through the check point and immediately started sending out live satellite images again. A few moments later some Iraqi vehicles pulled up to them and again demanded that they stop taking pictures, and go to the Baath Party Governor’s house to obtain a permit. Then it would be all right. Again they put the camera down until the Iraqis pulled away and again immediately started with the live satellite images. The doctor seemed to stay with CNN leading them, I had presumed, toward the governor’s house--don’t know for sure. I believe the Iraqis soldiers expected them to do this, but as they approached the first checkpoint the CNN crew decided to get out of Tikrit. The guards at the checkpoint tried to flag them down, but the CNN guys decided to run through. About that time warning shots were fired and all of a sudden, live on satellite we, the viewers, suddenly discovered that CNN had hired what they call armed guards for their caravan. I’m not sure if I have the right terminology but I have always thought guns for hire were soldiers of fortune or just plain mercenaries. Regardless, after the Iraqis fired warning shots, the CNN hired gunmen let loose with what sounded like automatic weapons fire as the convoy sped out of town. After the initial firing, the doctor with his family pulled off the side of the road. I don’t remember any later mention of this guy’s fate. But further down the road an Iraqi vehicle caught up to the CNN caravan and fired some pistol rounds trying to get them to stop, but the CNN gunmen opened up again with their weapons and they managed to escape the city without serious injury to the CNN crew. One driver took some glass shards to the face. A woman producer took bullet in her flack jacket. She was shaken but all right. What I found so troubling about all of this is that this is not news IMO. This is the creation of news. First, they knew there were negotiations going on in that town for a peaceful turnover. What right did CNN have to go in early? And knowing this, or even not knowing this, what gives CNN the right to hire gunmen to shoot at and maybe kill Iraqis if CNN perceives that their story is not unfolding in the manner in which they had wished it? This is absolutely disgusting in my way of thinking. Not only do I not understand how a news organization has the right to shoot at people in order to get its story, but what right do they have to create an incident that could put the lives of our soldiers at risk? This makes no sense to me in any capacity. I can understand that when newsmen tag along with a group of combatants and the combatants go in with guns blazing, this would be logical for the newsmen to record. But I just don’t see how it is correct to risk messing up negotiations, possibly endanger the coalition soldiers, and having hired guards shoot at Iraqis because of CNN’s disregard for anything other than entertaining television viewers. There has got to be something wrong with this. I wrote all of this to CNN and their response to me was to send me a form letter gushing with appreciation for viewers like me who tune in to watch their wonderful programming. But what I really don’t get is why no other news agency has picked up on this story. It doesn’t matter if you love the war or hate the war. It just looked to me like CNN was going way beyond the bounds of journalism, and for what. Who needed to see CNN firing guns at Iraqi guards? It’s just crazy. And CNN has edited the video now and is playing it proclaiming Brent Sadler and team to be some sort of heroes for pulling this off. Go figure. I suppose I should add that this is all just my opinions relating to the facts that I presented here as best I could remember. If I had anything wrong about what I saw, I would expect CNN to have answered me explaining this instead of sending me a form letter telling me how happy they are to have viewers like me watching.