During the Gulf War and more recently in Afghanistan, readers got few firsthand reports about battles, thanks to Pentagon policy that prohibited reporters and photographers access to military operations. But with war with Iraq on the horizon, the military has done an about-face and is permitting journalists to accompany the troops.
For readers, it will mean vivid firsthand reports and photographs from the front, be they of heroics or defeats. In military speak, the practice of allowing journalists to be with the military has been dubbed “embedding.” The policy stems from the military’s recognition that it needs to tell its story, good or bad, before the national and international media are fed disinformation or distortions.
You saw an example of what this new policy means on Thursday with a report by a San Diego Union-Tribune team in Kuwait. Seasoned reporter James W. Crawley, who trained for the assignment with the military last November, and photographer Earnie Grafton, a former Marine gunnery sergeant who served in the Gulf War before joining the Union-Tribune, filed their first story and photographs from Camp Coyote in Kuwait. The front-page package told of dust storms, a “featureless horizon,” of days spent digging “skirmish trenches” and training and of nights spent in two-man dome tents. One photo inside the A-section showed a Marine reading a book “on nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. . . . ”
Some readers have noticed and complained in recent weeks because members of the military have been identified by name. Those who complain fear for the safety of the families they’ve left behind. Ray Tessler, assistant metro editor who directs military coverage, said whether their names are used is up to the individual. If they choose not to identify themselves, the Union-Tribune will respect their wishes.
With the opportunity to be with the troops comes responsibility. The rules guiding embedding have been outlined for journalists in a 10-page document. Understandably, the military has concerns about the transmission of sensitive material that might compromise operations and notes it may ask for a delayed release of information. However, the document makes it clear that the military recognizes the right of the media to cover it. And to write both about the good and bad. Ground rules, the document said, “are in no way intended to prevent release of derogatory, embarrassing, negative or uncomplimentary information.”
While Crawley and Grafton are in Kuwait, another pair is in Turkey and will report on developments there. It includes Copley News Service reporter Marcus Stern and Union-Tribune photographer Nelvin Cepeda.
How long reporters and photographers will remain in the Middle East depends on events as they unfold. Others at the Union-Tribune are ready to go to the Middle East if needed. The assignment means that journalists “will live with our troops,” Tessler said. “Eat what they eat. Sleep where they sleep. Share the harsh conditions and, possibly, the dangers of war in Iraq.”
Reader Donna Przecha urges the Union-Tribune to stop wasting paper with predictable stories. In an e-mail, she said: “Every time someone is suspected of some type of mayhem or illegal activities, there is an interview with relatives, neighbors (and) co-workers who say she or he would never do anything like that because she or he is such a nice person, devoted parent, child, volunteer, etc., etc.”
She said the stories are a waste because 90 percent of the time, the person did what he or she is accused of doing.
Her letter gave me pause. I know the type of stories she means. And when I was a reporter, I wrote my share. They always appear when someone is accused of something horrendous. Why do newspapers do stories like that?
In all fairness, the accused may not be guilty. There’s also a desire on the part of the newspaper to tell readers how others see the person, to shed light. It’s the same type of story done even when there is no accusation but when a person comes under media scrutiny because of something beyond his or her control.
Bob Steele of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies says those types of stories are a pet peeve, especially if they are not done well. He sees them as legitimate stories but says reporters “shouldn’t just ‘shop’ for the ‘good guy’ quote and then close the notebook.” Steele said good reporters will talk to quite a few people who know the person in question. That usually results in a more authentic picture of the person, “a more nuanced portrait.”
He suggests that to develop the story, a reporter should ask why the person thinks as he or she does about the accused. “What’s the basis for their observation? And we should tell readers that as well as the opinion.”
