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US Media Prepares For War by EPN 
US Media Prepares For War EPN Newsdesk News organisations across the US are making preparations for a possible war with Iraq. Measures range from the distribution of bodysuits for use in case of chemical or biological attacks, to sending reporters on security training programmes. But as the major media players gear up for a Gulf conflict, smaller media organisations are having to think twice about the viability of such coverage. "It [a Gulf conflict] will likely be the story of the year," said Judith Matloff, a journalism professor who teaches war reporting at Columbia University, "and everyone wants to be able to report it. However the decision to send a journalist into any conflict zone is not one to be taken lightly, and this conflict in particular encompasses additional causes for concern, reports the Associated Press. Aside from the fears concerning the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons that were present during the Gulf War of 1990-1991, the fact that the United States would seek a change in regime could create further instability. This led to the killing of eight Western journalists in Afghanistan, during the fall of the Taliban in November 2001. Anti-Western feeling in Iraq could further endanger US journalists. Such sentiment was a likely factor in the abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in January 2002. News agencies are consequently seeking to find more ways to protect their staff. Since July 2001, the Associated Press has sent more than 470 correspondents on courses that include such safety training as first aid and hostage abduction. Training in use of attire such as flak vests and gas masks has also been provided. Other major organisations such as CNN, Fox News and CBS News have adopted similar measures and some are also hiring armed guards to protect staff. Paul Rees, founder and managing director of Centurion, a company that runs training courses for war correspondents, said that there has been a great increase in numbers of participants since September. "News organisations are waking up to the realities and dangers of war," he stated. Finally, once all risks have been weighed up and necessary training undertaken, there remains the problem of access for journalists. Many countries in the Middle East have poor records for press freedom and the US military has also limited journalists' access in the past. "All of the governments make it difficult because they only want you to report what they want," said Marcy McGinnis, senior vice president of news coverage at CBS. For many smaller agencies, covering a conflict with Iraq would simply not be worth the risks, the resources and the cost, which could, according to AP, run into millions of dollars. Similarly, organisations that lack experienced war correspondents may also opt out. The Detroit News, for example, has no plans for covering a war in the Gulf. Publisher and editor Mark Silverman questioned the motives of those organisations planning to send correspondents to Iraq for short periods simply to get stories. "To have people parachute in as instant experts in the middle of a war is ego journalism," he said. |