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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA 'OWN GOALS' IN THE GWOT
Transcript of War Spin by the BBC Last Updated: Thursday, 15 May, 2003, 08:50 GMT 09:50 UK 
Saving Private Lynch story 'flawed' By John Kampfner Private Jessica Lynch was reportedly rescued after a tip-off Private Jessica Lynch became an icon of the war, and the story of her capture by the Iraqis and her rescue by US special forces became one of the great patriotic moments of the conflict. But her story is one of the most stunning pieces of news management ever conceived. Private Lynch, a 19-year-old army clerk from Palestine, West Virginia, was captured when her company took a wrong turning just outside Nasiriya and was ambushed. Nine of her comrades were killed and Private Lynch was taken to the local hospital, which at the time was swarming with Fedayeen. Eight days later US special forces stormed the hospital, capturing the "dramatic" events on a night vision camera. They were said to have come under fire from inside and outside the building, but they made it to Lynch and whisked her away by helicopter. There was no [sign of] shooting, no bullet inside her body, no stab wound Dr Harith a-Houssona Reports claimed that she had stab and bullet wounds and that she had been slapped about on her hospital bed and interrogated. But Iraqi doctors in Nasiriya say they provided the best treatment they could for the soldier in the midst of war. She was assigned the only specialist bed in the hospital and one of only two nurses on the floor. "I examined her, I saw she had a broken arm, a broken thigh and a dislocated ankle," said Dr Harith a-Houssona, who looked after her. Jessica amnesia "There was no [sign of] shooting, no bullet inside her body, no stab wound - only road traffic accident. They want to distort the picture. I don't know why they think there is some benefit in saying she has a bullet injury." Witnesses told us that the special forces knew that the Iraqi military had fled a day before they swooped on the hospital. "We were surprised. Why do this? There was no military, there were no soldiers in the hospital," said Dr Anmar Uday, who worked at the hospital. "It was like a Hollywood film. They cried 'go, go, go', with guns and blanks without bullets, blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show for the American attack on the hospital - action movies like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan." There was one more twist. Two days before the snatch squad arrived, Harith had arranged to deliver Jessica to the Americans in an ambulance. But as the ambulance, with Private Lynch inside, approached a checkpoint American troops opened fire, forcing it to flee back to the hospital. The Americans had almost killed their prize catch. Some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen General Vincent Brooks When footage of the rescue was released, General Vincent Brooks, US spokesman in Doha, said: "Some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen, loyal to a creed that they know that they'll never leave a fallen comrade." The American strategy was to ensure the right television footage by using embedded reporters and images from their own cameras, editing the film themselves. The Pentagon had been influenced by Hollywood producers of reality TV and action movies, notably the man behind Black Hawk Down, Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer advised the Pentagon on the primetime television series "Profiles from the Front Line", that followed US forces in Afghanistan in 2001. That approached was taken on and developed on the field of battle in Iraq. As for Private Lynch, her status as cult hero is stronger than ever. Internet auction sites list Jessica Lynch items, from an oil painting with an opening bid of $200 to a $5 "America Loves Jessica Lynch" fridge magnet. But doctors now say she has no recollection of the whole episode and probably never will.
Correspondent: War Spin Tx Date: 18th May 2003 This script was made from audio tape - any inaccuracies are due to voices being unclear or inaudible 00.00.00 Correspondent Theme Music 00.00.12 Music 00.00.13 John Kampfner Jessica Lynch - an all American icon of the war. Captured by the Iraqis. Saved for the nation in a daring helicopter rescue. 00.00.22 Music 00.00.24 John Kampfner This was a script made for Hollywood. Made by the Pentagon. 00.00.29 Music 00.00.31 General Vincent Brooks Some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen. Loyal to a creed that they know; that they'll never leave a fallen comrade. 00.00.39 Music 00.00.40 John Kampfner But the Jessica Lynch story was not all it seemed. 00.00.46 Dr Anmar Uday When they enter they say go, go, go! Wait, wait, wait, wait! Just like Hollywood movies. Just like Hollywood films. 00.00.52 John Kampfner Tonight we look at how the allies used the media to spread their message - that the war in Iraq was worth fighting and was fought well. 00.01.00 NBC Reporter We got rockets coming in on us. Tom, we're under attack right now! 00.01.04 John Kampfner How much of that message stood up to scrutiny? 00.01.07 Michael Wolff At the end of your stay in Doha you would know absolutely nothing. 00.01.12 General Tommy Franks This platform is not a platform for propaganda. This is a platform for truth. 00.01.16 Title Page WAR SPIN 00.01.19 Music 00.01.23 ASTON Jim Wilkinson Us Military Spokesman, Centcom I stayed up all night. I got a call that this was happening, I knew it was going to happen in advance and we had a situation where there was a lot of hot news, the President had been briefed, as had the Secretary of Defence. 00.01.32 Aston PAUL HUNTER Canadian Broadcasting Corporation I first heard about Jessica Lynch when my phone rang at three in the morning. 00.01.37 Jim Wilkinson We alerted the press to get here for an announcement. They didn't know what was coming. 00.01.40 Paul Hunter We thought they'd caught Saddam Hussein or something like that. 00.01.43 General Vincent Brooks Coalition forces have conducted a successful rescue mission of a US Army prisoner of war held captive in Iraq. 00.01.50 Music 00.01.52 John Kampfner Jessica is a nineteen year old clerk taken prisoner when her maintenance team took a wrong turning and was ambushed. Nine of her comrades were killed. 00.02.00 Music 00.02.02 Aston US Dept of Defence pictures 00.02.05 John Kampfner With Jessica's life in peril a snatch squad was sent in to take her from her hospital bed in Nasariyah. 00.02.11 Music 00.02.16 John Kampfner They took fire on their way in and out of the building, a military video team capturing every step in the action. 00.02.22 Music 00.02.25 John Kampfner These pictures were rushed out for breakfast shows in America just when the news was bad and the talk was of a long hard campaign. 00.02.32 Music 00.02.34 News reader Saving Private Lynch. The dramatic rescue of a POW. 00.02.38 Aston General VINCENT BROOKS US Army It was a classic joint operation, done by some of our nation's finest warriors who are dedicated to never leaving a comrade behind. At this point she is safe. She's been retrieved. I asked her who was holding her - the regime was holding her. 00.02.56 Music 00.02.58 John Kampfner The story was a gift to a grateful media. There was barely a mention of Jessica's fallen comrades whose bodies had been retrieved from shallow graves during the same mission. A bad story had become a good one. 00.03.10 Music 00.03.13 Bill Whitaker There are reports in the Washington Post today that Private Lynch fought valiantly, that she shot until she ran out of ammunition, shot several Iraqi soldiers even though she herself had been wounded. 00.03.26 Mitchell Catlin Yes Natalie, Private Ryan will be treated in Germany after being in the hands of the Iraqi regime for ten days. 00.03.32 John Kampfner Did he say Private Ryan? 00.03.36 Private Lynch's brother Oh Ma'am, I never, never questioned that she was never alive. I knew she was alive and well the whole time. 00.03.42 Private Lynch's mother Oh it's just unbelievable what I really, really want to say to her. She's been missed and loved. 00.03.49 John Kampfner Now we're told she had stab and bullet wounds. An Iraqi witness had told the Americans he had seen Jessica slapped in the hospital. 00.03.56 Aston DONALD RUMSFELD US Defence Secretary Good afternoon. We are certainly grateful for the brilliant and courageous rescue of Sergeant, correction PFC Jessica Lynch who was being held by Iraqi forces in, in what they called a hospital. 00.04.15 Music 00.04.18 John Kampfner That's the story as seen through American eyes. 00.04.20 Music 00.04.23 John Kampfner Two weeks ago we visited the scene of Jessica's rescue. Although Iraqi forces had occupied part of it, this was a hospital like any other. 00.04.30 Aston Dr HARITH AL-HOUSSONA Iraqi doctor At the beginning I received her in the casualty department from the Iraqi security department, which referred from the military hospital. 00.04.40 John Kampfner This is one of the doctors who treated Jessica when she was brought here, still unconscious by Iraqi soldiers. They put her in the only specialist bed they had. 00.04.50 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles I examine her, I see she has a broken arm& and broken thigh, with a dislocated ankle. Then we do another examination. There is no shooting, no bullet inside her body& no stab wound, no other thing, merely RTA. Only road traffic accident. 00.05.15 John Kampfner One story, two versions of the truth. The doctors say they operated on her to reset her plaster. The best treatment they could provide in the midst of war. 00.05.25 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles We give her three bottles of blood& two of them from medical staff& because there is no blood at this time. 00.05.34 Aston Dr ANMAR UDAY Iraqi doctor Subtitles We consider Jessica as one of our injured patients& one of our Iraqi women injured in the war. 00.05.43 John Kampfner She was assigned one of only two nurses on the floor. 00.05.49 Nurse Voice over She herself was asked about her treatment. I was like a mother to her and she my daughter. We treated her well. 00.06.02 John Kampfner The doctors told us that the day before the Special Forces swooped on the hospital the Iraqi military had fled. Did the Americans know this? 00.06.13 John Kampfner We found a man who saw an advance party land in the town. He says he was questioned by the team's translator. 00.06.21 Aston HASSAM HAMOUD Voice over He said; 'where is Saddam Hospital?' I said, 'in that direction'. He said; 'are there any Fedayeen over there?' I said; 'no, there aren't any, there is no forces in there or anything.' 00.06.37 John Kampfner All the same America's finest warriors descended on the building. 00.06.41 Dr Anmar Uday Subtitles We heard the noise of the helicopter, the sound of the helicopter& and I think the helicopter landed here on the grass. 00.06.49 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles Like a film of Hollywood, they cry, 'Go, go, go!'... and shout, 'Go, go, go!', with guns and blanks, without bullets. Blanks and the sound of explosions, and break the door. We are very scared. 00.07.03 Dr Anmar Uday Subtitles We are surprised at this time. Why do this? There is no military, no soldiers in the hospital. 00.07.11 John Kampfner But the Americans took no chances, restraining doctors and a patient who was handcuffed to this bed frame. 00.07.19 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles I don't know why they tie him. Why tie him? He cannot move. Why the American army tied him? 00.07.25 Music 00.07.27 John Kampfner There was one more twist. Two days before the snatch squad arrived the doctor had arranged to deliver Jessica to the Americans in an ambulance. 00.07.36 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles Every time, 'I want to go home, I want to go home.' We told her, I secretly between us, I and she, I told her& I will try to escape you to the American Army& but I will do this very secretly because I lose my life. We put her in the ambulance with the driver& and walk out of the hospital. We told him go to the American checkpoint. When he was near the American checkpoint& he was shot by the Americans. 00.08.08 Music 00.08.10 John Kampfner So a tense encounter but no Iraqi troops. The Americans almost killing their prize catch by mistake. But the story had already passed into folklore. 00.08.20 Dr Harith Al-Houssona Subtitles They make a show for the American attack for the hospital. Action moves like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan& with jumping and shouting, breaking the door& with the photos, with the photos.. 00.08.34 Music 00.08.37 John Kampfner We asked the Pentagon to release the full videotape of the rescue rather than its five-minute edited version to clear up any discrepancies. It declined. 00.08.46 John Kampfner Was there any resistance as the forces were going in? 00.08.51 Bryan Whitman I think that I will leave that story to be told in great detail when the time is right. 00.09.01 John Kampfner What injuries did she sustain? 00.09.03 Aston BRYAN WHITMAN US Dep Assistant Secretary of Defence Well I'm not going to get into the specific injuries that she received. That's up to her and her doctors to discuss at the appropriate time. 00.09.14 John Kampfner Doctors now say she has no memory of the whole episode and probably never will. 00.09.19 Bryan Whitman I understand that there's some conflicting information out there and in due time the full story will be told, I'm sure. 00.09.28 Music 00.09.30 John Kampfner There are facts and there is a message. George Bush and Tony Blair knew how vital it was to get the message right, to present the war and the case for war. This is how it worked - talk up the dangers. 00.09.41 President George Bush The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. 00.09.43 Aston 29th January 00.09.51 John Kampfner Dismiss the doubters. Appeal to the hearts and minds. Trust us. 00.09.55 Tony Blair I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour. But sometimes it is the price of leadership. 00.09.57 Aston 15th March 00.10.05 Music 00.10.07 John Kampfner Months of preparation over, the war media strategy was ready. The most important part of the plan was to embed six hundred journalists with the military. It was a huge gamble. The idea was that star correspondents would live every minute with the troops as they advanced across the desert. New technology would allow the TV crews to beam the pictures and their observations back home live. 00.10.30 Music 00.10.32 Reporter Koppel Wreak havoc and unleash the dogs of war. And there they start moving into Iraq. 00.10.37 Walt Rogers John, I don't think any of us have ever seen anything like this, live, real time pictures of an army moving forward in a, in a, in a battle zone. 00.10.47 Juliet Bremner The battle for Basra is still raging along this road. 00.10.51 Walt Rogers We got rockets coming in on us. Tom, we're under attack right now. 00.10.55 Gavin Hewitt There are substantial American forces close to the Iraqi capital. 00.11.00 Bryan Whitman Well I think pictures do a lot to help tell the story and we embedded nearly one hundred cameras across the battlefield and, because I think images are important. I think they're even more important in certain parts of the world where language can be a barrier. 00.11.22 John Kampfner Bryan Whitman was in charge of the Pentagon's media planning. His strategy paper puts shaping world opinion as priority number one. 00.11.31 Voice over 'This holds true for the US public& and publics in countries where we conduct operations, whose perceptions of us can affect the cost and duration of our involvement.' 00.11.41 John Kampfner Present the words and pictures properly, use journalists effectively and victory will come more quickly. 00.11.47 Bryan Whitman To the extent that the media are being, are able to inform the world about what's going on. To the extent that having an accurate representation of the facts that exist on the battlefield, if that causes an enemy to capitulate sooner then that's good. 00.12.09 John Kampfner He provides hints for getting the best pictures. 00.12.12 Voice over 'Use of lipstick and helmet-mounted cameras on combat sorties is approved and encouraged to the greatest extent possible.' 00.12.19 Soldier We gotta get this cargo up front. The sooner we get it to the grunts, the sooner they can kill some of these people that need killing and the sooner we can go home. 00.12.25 Aston WALT ROGERS CNN I was assigned to be the television embed with the US Army's Third Squadron Seventh cavalry. 00.12.31 Walt Rogers Everything hints to a change in focus coming in the coming days and weeks on Baghdad. Baghdad will be the end game. 00.12.39 Walt Rogers That was fun, it was, it was a good assignment travelling with a unit which was the tip of the, tip of the spear. There was a real sense of awe watching this military sweep unfold before you and you knew that there was nothing that the other side could put in your path which would stop you. 00.12.56 Clive Myrie It seems the gunfire has been coming from the police station down here and there are reports of gunmen positioned on some of the roof tops. 00.13.04 Aston CLIVE MYRIE BBC News We happened to be with the unit Forty Commando who actually had something to do. And it meant we had some very, very productive periods with a lot of great action footage because he put us right at the front and the work that, the work that we produced is some of the stuff that some people say is the best of the war. 00.13.29 John Kampfner The picture on the left is the war against Iraq, the real war. The picture on the right is 'Black Hawk Down'; a patriotic action movie about US soldiers in Somalia rescuing their own and emerging victorious. 00.13.31 Aston Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment 00.13.43 John Kampfner Hollywood and the Pentagon working in perfect symmetry. In 2001 the man behind 'Black Hawk Down', Jerry Bruckheimer, visited the Pentagon to pitch an idea with his co-producer. 00.13.56 Soldier 1 You all right? You okay? 00.13.59 Soldier 2 Yeah, I can hear the bells ringing. 00.14.02 Aston BERTRAM VAN MUNSTER Jerry Bruckheimer's partner He just did 'Black Hawk Down', so he's very interested in the subject. He's also a patriot. Of course Jerry does all the big movies and I do reality television and I've done this for many many many years, long before even anybody knew what reality was. 00.14.19 John Kampfner The pair came up with 'Profiles from the Frontline'; a primetime series following US forces in Afghanistan, made with the support of Donald Rumsfeld. 00.14.28 John Kampfner They were after human stories told through the eyes of the soldiers. Great reality TV. The Pentagon approved. 00.14.35 Aston BRYAN WHITMAN US Dep Assistant Secretary of Defence What 'Profiles' does is again it provides a very human look at the challenges that are presented when you're, when you're dealing in these very difficult situations. 00.14.46 Gunfire 00.14.49 Soldier Good morning republican guard from the United States marines. Hoorah! 00.14.53 John Kampfner 'Profiles from the Frontline' was aired in the US on the eve of war in Iraq. Its popularity with viewers suggested to the Pentagon that a similar approach would go down well once the real fighting began, as long as the embedded reporters played their part. 00.15.07 Reporter A call came in from an artillery battery about six hundred metres that way that they were under attack from Iraqi soldiers on foot. These marines have moved into position and these Cobra helicopters are firing Gatling guns and rockets at the Iraqi soldiers. 00.15.09 Aston ABC News Australia 00.15.21 Bertram Van Munster You can only get accepted by chemistry. You know if you get a good bond with somebody, only then will they let you in. What these guys are doing out there, men and women, is just absolutely extraordinary. 00.15.32 Aston BERTRAM VAN MUNSTER Creator, 'Profiles From the Front Line' If you are a cheerleader of our perspective that we should, that we deserve peace and that we deserve human dignity, these guys are really going out on a limb and risk their own lives. 00.15.43 Clive Myrie You've obviously got to be constantly aware of the fact that they, the unit that you are with, is going to be giving you the line that makes them look the best, look good in the eyes of the public. 00.15.59 Clive Myrie As long as you are aware of that then you can begin to try and tell whatever story you're trying to tell in as objective way as you can, bearing in mind the fact that the unit that you are with is feeding you, clothing you, protecting you, whatever. 00.16.19 Clive Myrie When I would approach someone high up in the unit for information on casualties, or whether it was friendly fire or not, they would volunteer the information. But they never handed anything to me like that on a plate. 00.16.31 Walt Rogers Do I think we got too close to them? No. I have seen reporters who cover the White House over the years sleep with women in this President's White House and that President's White House. That's incestuous, that's too close. That didn't happen with the army. 00.16.49 Aston ITV News 00.16.49 Bill Neely On board the helicopter an electric atmosphere. These men pumped up by Iraq's Scud attacks in the desert and by news of intense fighting. They were ready to hit back hard. 00.17.04 Bill Neely We have just this second crossed over the border into Iraq. We'll be landing at our target in about ten minute's time. 00.17.11 Bill Neely Into Iraq and the smell& 00.17.13 John Kampfner Some wore uniforms. Some didn't. 00.17.16 Walt Rogers It's a very symbolic little statement I was making, but it did say, I'm not a soldier. Some of my colleagues didn't do that and I think they crossed a line there. 00.17.26 Bryan Whitman I think it's difficult not to be enthusiastic about what you're doing if you're out there with our soldiers. 00.17.35 Soldier We bomb 'em. You know it's cool to me that like explosions and stuff like that but like I don't get to see the actual explosion and that's what I want to see, but I guess when we get closer to Baghdad we'll get to see more of that stuff, so& 00.17.49 John Kampfner Embeds and their protectors agreed a set of rules. Not giving away battle positions or unit strengths in return for access. Sometimes when things got rough journalists came under pressure to help out. 00.18.01 Clive Myrie I was pretty scared at this stage and we get to the bridge and there are bullets flying all over the place, and I can see the tension in the face of the troops, the, the marines we are with, I can see the tension in the face as we get to the bridge. A rocket-propelled grenade just misses us. 00.18.16 Aston BBC News 00.18.17 Gunfire 00.18.20 Clive Myrie There was bullets flying everywhere. We get out of the, out of the Land Rover and we hide in a ditch. One of the marines said; why don't you make yourself useful? And he's throwing these flares at me. And he's throwing the flares at me and I'm throwing them at the guy who's got to light them and send them off into the sky, and I'm thinking, why, what am I doing here? 00.18.39 John Kampfner Tension was particularly high on the eve of war. Some journalists assembling with the British forces in Kuwait were ordered not to report what they saw. 00.18.47 Aston CRAIG COPETAS Bloomberg We were not allowed to take any pictures or describe British soldiers carrying guns. I was told that there was a, a decision made by Downing Street that the military minders of the journalists down there were to go to any lengths to, to not portray British, the British fighting man and women as fighters. 00.19.12 Craig Copetas They wanted them there to have them there as nation- builders, that they weren't going to be killing people. The media minders would get very very upset with you very fast and threats were levelled you that you would be disembedded. 00.19.30 Aston ABC News Australia 00.19.30 John Kampfner Sometimes embedded reporters did send dispatches that put their military hosts in a bad light. This Australian report is of a jumpy US patrol killing three civilians after mistakenly thinking they'd come under military fire. 00.19.43 Gunfire 00.19.57 John Kampfner When they needed to send out more positive images they shot footage themselves and handed it to the networks. 00.19.58 Aston Ministry of Defence pictures 00.20.04 John Kampfner Iraqi soldiers surrendering. Message - the regime is crumbling. 00.20.10 John Kampfner A friendly football match with the troops in Basra - ordinary Iraqis are warming to us. 00.20.18 John Kampfner A parachute drop in the North, militarily insignificant but good TV. Message - the advance is not bogged down. 00.20.28 John Kampfner So stage one of the media campaign was to get up close and personal. Maximum imagery, minimum insight. 00.20.38 Music 00.20.44 John Kampfner Stage two, Centcom, a shed in the desert. This was where the big picture was to be provided. 00.20.50 Presenter Oh I hear them arguing. It's said both ways, Harry& 00.21.03 Music 00.21.06 John Kampfner This was supposed to be the stage for the context, the explanation, the sifting of facts. 00.21.11 Presenter The President says today is the moment of truth for the UN, his strongest indication yet that war may be just a few days away. 00.21.20 John Kampfner More than seven hundred journalists arrive at Central Command, a series of pre-fabricated huts just past an industrial estate in Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar. 00.21.32 Michael Wolff It had this moon feeling to it. In effect everybody spent twelve or fourteen or sixteen hours a day in a warehouse. 00.21.43 John Kampfner Their job is to report every word of the US and UK military, even though they're hundreds of miles away from the action. They're here to be drip-fed information. They're supposed to get the inside track, to help make sense of the reports the embeds send in from the frontline. In reality they spend their long days catching the news off TV like viewers back home. 00.22.04 Aston MICHAEL WOLFF New York magazine The only window that you had into actually what was going on in the war were that, were that there were a set of television monitors in front of the coffee bar, and you could lean against the coffee bar and look up at the monitors and, and see at least what Fox was telling you was gong on in the war. 00.22.24 John Kampfner The main event is the two p.m. press conference, officially the Freedom Briefing, time for breakfast shows back in the US. Each day begins with a film and slide show presented by General Vincent Brooks, a man destined to become a household face. 00.22.40 General Vincent Brooks &videos of recent engagements. 00.22.42 John Kampfner Every day the war is on track, successes are dwelt on, setbacks glossed over. 00.22.47 General Vincent Brooks The coalition is up to the challenge and more than ever the outcome is not in doubt. I'm ready for your questions? 00.22.55 John Kampfner This is mainly an American show. The favoured US networks receive the best seats, allies next, then the rest. The spin-doctors watch from the sidelines. 00.23.06 John Kampfner On the left, Jim Wilkinson, the man from the White House. Next to him in civvies Simon Wren on a mission from Downing Street. Brits and Americans fighting the real battle and the media battle shoulder to shoulder. At least that's the plan. 00.23.23 General Vincent Brooks I don't have anything else that I can give you in detail on that and I appreciate the question& 00.23.27 Aston JIM WILKINSON US Military Spokesman, Centcom There's a daily conference call that has Torie Clarke, at the office of the Secretary of Defence. You have the State Department, Number Ten, the Foreign Office, the UN, the White House, Qatar and others on there, and the United Kingdom is on that call, and so there's any number of mechanisms, and we found that you know if you're talking often you never let the press come between you, which is important. 00.23.51 John Kampfner The machine must be fed. Rolling news channels are hungry all the time. The idea is to co-ordinate the message across all time zones. 00.23.58 Music 00.24.02 Jim Wilkinson It's a twenty-four hour news cycle, so you start with the strategy of if you're on the air they're not. 00.24.10 John Kampfner The genial frontman for the British journalists is Al Lockwood. 00.24.15 John Kampfner He begins his day at the early morning briefing where raw intelligence and overnight news are discussed. His job is to select what is useful. He's already had his fingers burnt. 00.24.25 Woman First day& 00.24.27 Al Lockwood First day& 00.24.58 Woman First day he learnt very quickly, the first day, the first American interview he was asked& 00.24.32 Aston Group Captain AL LOCKWOOD UK Military Spokesman He said to me off camera, afterwards, how long do you reckon it's going to last? I said, well I'm not a betting man, and I made a glib remark, about three or four days, being, I was being flippant about, and bang, by the time I got back to the office, UK spokesman says, war will not last longer than three to four days, and I went, oh dear. 00.24.53 Group Captain Al Lockwood Anyway I went down to the Headquarters, confessed to Air-Marshall Burridge, said I've just made a stupid mistake, I thought something was being, you know, should have been, which was meant to be jest was taken as otherwise. So, he said, you've learnt on day one. 00.25.19 John Kampfner Journalists and briefers together. 00.25.23 John Kampfner Rule number one of spin: Keep off certain issues. 00.25.29 John Kampfner In the British back office a list of troublesome subjects; what they quaintly call 'poo traps'. 00.25.36 John Kampfner Beware questions on faulty kit. Beware DU, depleted uranium. 00.25.43 Music 00.25.49 John Kampfner Rule number two: Hone the message and stick to it. 00.25.54 Group Captain Al Lockwood We are not interested in Saddam Hussain per se. People are making a little too much of Saddam Hussein. 00.26.03 Group Captain Al Lockwood Saddam Hussein is just one member of the regime. 00.26.07 Aston PAUL HUNTER Canadian Broadcasting Corporation At the end of the day, when you try to make a news story out of whatever happens here, you still have to use their message track. The one thing they're gonna to answer to every single question, and it has gone on every single day. 00.26.17 Group Captain Al Lockwood It's not Saddam Hussain who is the, the key target to end the war in Iraq. 00.26.22 Music 00.26.29 Group Captain Al Lockwood You've got an upstart woman there who wants to make a bloody name for herself within the television community by grilling an easy victim, which is a military officer. I refuse to be an easy victim. 00.26.38 Music 00.26.42 John Kampfner It takes little over a week for reporters to realise Centcom is not the plum posting that was promised. Facts and context are in short supply. Questions are rationed, follow-ups are frowned on, full answers are not forthcoming. 00.26.55 Music 00.27.00 American Spokesman No, I can't confirm that and won't confirm that. I think it would be unfair to speculate anything more than that. 00.27.06 General Vincent Brooks No one can ever predict exactly how a battle will unfold. 00.27.09 General Vincent Brooks It's too early to be able to say exactly what happened at that site. 00.27.12 General Vincent Brooks We've seen a number of things that tell us that what we saw&. 00.27.17 Aston GEORGE CURRY Journalist What's going on is you're not even getting basic information that you need. And that is, I've said, you know, they're not talking to us, they're talking to audience beyond us and we're just conduits. Audience is in TV Land, and we're in Never Never Land. 00.27.33 Michael Wolf Every day, every hour, whatever you knew had begun to degrade and so you knew less and less and at somewhere at the end of your stay in Doha you would know absolutely nothing. 00.27.46 John Kampfner Real information, what there is of it, is usually given away from the podium and away from the cameras. Behind this pack of British reporters Number Ten's Simon Wren is briefing a line. Other non-attributable lines during the war found their way into newspapers as fact. 00.28.05 John Kampfner Saddam Hussein is dead. Tariq Aziz has defected. Military successes were briefed, even before they happened. 00.28.15 Fiona Bruce Coalition troops push deeper into Iraq. They say they're now half way to Baghdad. Iraq's second city Basra is reported secured, but after fierce fighting& 00.28.20 Aston 22nd March 00.28.25 John Kampfner In fact Basra fell seventeen days later. As for Um Quasa that seemed to fall every day. 00.28.31 Huw Edwards In the past half-hour we've heard British and American troops have captured the Iraqi border town of Um Quasa. 00.28.33 Aston 20th March 00.28.38 Ben Brown Cobra helicopter gunships hovered menacingly in the air, but their advance was slower than they had been hoping for. 00.28.45 Donald Rumsfeld Coalition forces did capture it, and do control the port of Um Quasa. 00.28.47 Aston 21st March 00.28.56 Ben Brown The Americans claim to have taken this town on Friday, yet three days later they were still facing fierce resistance here. 00.28.57 Aston BBC News 23rd March 00.29.05 American Spokesman I want to make note of the UK forces today for their rapid progress in establishing security in the town of Um Quasa. 00.29.07 Aston 25th March 00.29.13 John Kampfner After five days Um Quasa was finally taken. Were stories like these wishful thinking? Overeager commanders? Overeager journalists? Or more than that? When Basra refused to fall the British told the world of an uprising. 00.29.28 John Kampfner There's a cycle. It starts as raw information on the ground. 00.29.31 Aston RICHARD GAISFORD With the British forces, Basra My reports have been coming from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards battle group headquarters and there they have reported this uprising. They reported an uprising amongst public there that was being put down by Iraqi troops actually in the city centre. 00.29.47 John Kampfner This is then given credence by spokesmen at Centcom. 00.29.50 British Spokesman And of course this is just the sort of encouraging indication that we have been looking for. 00.29.56 John Kampfner By the evening news the story has hardened further. 00.30.01 Aston BBC News 00.30.01 Ben Brown Gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery have been firing in support of a popular uprising here. 00.30.08 John Kampfner The story dovetailed with a propaganda leaflet campaign on the ground, and this appeal to the Iraqis from the Prime Minister. 00.30.15 Aston 25th March 00.30.14 Tony Blair And my message to them today is that this time we will not let you down. Saddam and his regime will be removed. 00.30.23 John Kampfner Two objectives for the price of one. Back home public opinion is rallied. In Iraq a domino effect is created. 00.30.31 Paul Hunter So if word comes out of Centcom that there is an uprising against Saddam's regime will certainly they can be thinking, planning, hoping that that information will be then picked up on and it will be, then the local people will build on that and, and, and the idea will become reality, even if it never existed in the first place. 00.30.53 Aston RICHARD SAMBROOK Head of BBC News I think actually most people will have known that Um Quasa didn't fall when it was first suggested it had and would have known that there wasn't an uprising in Basra. So I think actually over, over a course of time the way that people watch and listen and gather their information they will have discovered what was true and what wasn't. 00.31.07 Aston Group Captain AL LOCKWOOD UK Military Spokesman Basra uprising I believe still at this stage that something happened there, but it was seen as an uprising. We briefed it that there had been civil disturbance, it could have been an uprising, and were very hesitant about it. 00.31.22 Aston ITV News 00.31.22 Terry Lloyd We passed burnt out cars and the clothes left behind by Iraqi soldiers who had either fled the battlefield or surrendered. 00.31.29 John Kampfner With embedded journalists seeing the battle in microcosm, with reliable information hard to come by at Centcom, the truth was proving elusive. There were a few journalists trying to find out for themselves what was really going on, but theirs was a dangerous game. 00.31.44 Aston TERRY LLOYD ITV News This was until a few hours ago was an Iraqi frontline stronghold. Nothing much to see just a couple of portacabins where the Iraqi flag still flies. 00.31.53 Daniel Demoustier We were a roving team. That means a team that is not embedded but works independently. Our task was to go for the human interest story, you know, try to find Iraqi people, talk to them, try to find out from them what is going on. 00.32.09 Aston DANIEL DEMOUSTIER ITV News cameraman There was a team decision, based on the information we had that we would go, try to go direction Basra. 00.32.17 John Kampfner They were only on that road because they'd heard the reports that their original destination Um Quasa had fallen, reports that turned out to be false. 00.32.26 Daniel Demoustier Firing started from exactly that position, coming from the American tanks. The front window went straight away, and that same moment, I, I don't know, I don't know how I did it, but I went with my head under the steering wheel. I can't even do it now, but I went in there, it's probably why I got the blue eye. 00.32.44 Daniel Demoustier So I protected myself and I kept on driving, and I looked to the right and Terry's gone. 00.32.53 John Kampfner Terry Lloyd was one of ten journalists killed in action; two of his colleagues are still missing. 00.32.58 Richard Sambrook Editorially and objectively I would much sooner have been able to operate independently to a greater extent than we did but on safety grounds it simply wasn't possible. 00.33.06 John Kampfner What was the role then of the unilaterals? 00.33.09 Jim Wilkinson Er, they were a pain in our rear a lot of times. Many of them were wounded, some killed. They would show up on the battle space despite our warnings. 00.33.19 John Kampfner Coping with bad news stories is the toughest test of all. A street market in the Sha'ab district of Baghdad, unexplained explosions kill fourteen. People blamed the Americans, not the sort of image Downing Street and the Pentagon had in mind. 00.33.33 John Kampfner Journalists here had Iraqi minders and were outside the control of Coalition media managers. 00.33.39 Rageh Omaar What's impossible to say now is what could possibly have been a military target in such a populated area? 00.33.41 Aston BBC News 00.33.46 John Kampfner The story emerging on the ground points to a stray American missile attack on a day when sandstorms could have interfered with targeting. Many of the dead were working on cars in workshops. Survivors told us how they saw a plane and two impacts on either side of the road consistent with an allied attack. 00.33.05 Aston MOHAMMAD AL ZUBEDDY Garage owner Voiceover When the two rockets fell near here someone who was working under his car was crushed and burned. And then there were four others they died as well when their cars caught fire. 00.34.17 Aston ROBERT FISK The Independent Several people talked of hearing the aircraft. I'd heard a plane shortly before this and there was no doubt in my mind that the piece of shrapnel, the equidistant craters, it was clearly an American or British aircraft, which fired missiles into what is in effect a marketplace. 00.34.32 John Kampfner An awkward moment for Centcom. It's on the defensive. It reacts slowly at first. 00.34.37 Reporter 1 Iraq is reporting today that there was a missile attack on a residential section of Baghdad that killed fourteen civilians. Can you confirm that, and tell us what went wrong? 00.34.46 General Vincent Brooks Well first I'm not aware, I've heard this report that you're saying. It's in the media right now. We don't have a report that corroborates that and so I can't confirm it. 00.34.55 John Kampfner Then a blanket denial. The allies are not killing civilians. 00.35.00 John Kampfner Another look at that British list of traps shows bombing accuracy and the market bombings at numbers five and seven. 00.35.07 Reporter 2 Many hundred of civilians, Iraqi, have been killed by coalition bombs. Do you think it will help Iraqi people to believe you and to trust you, to believe that you are coming to emancipate them? 00.35.26 Aston General VINCENT BROOKS US Army Well thank you for the question. Firstly I don't accept the premise of the question, which says that the civilians have been killed by coalition bombs. I just don't accept that. 00.35.36 John Kampfner Some reporters at Centcom don't buy this line. 00.35.39 Reporter 3 When will you show us pictures of what happens when precision bombs don't go where they're supposed to, when they fail to hit their designated targets, or if they fail to go off at all. And if you don't doesn't that expose you to the charge that this is more propaganda than truth? 00.35.53 John Kampfner Next day Brooks goes on the offensive. He co- ordinates a new message with London and Washington. It was the Iraqis who did it. 00.36.00 General Vincent Brooks They're also using very old stocks, we've discovered and those stocks are not reliable and missiles are going up and coming down. So we think it's entirely possible that this may have been in fact an Iraqi missile that either went up and came down or given the behaviour of the regime lately it may have been inside of town. 00.36.18 John Kampfner The allies still deny causing the deaths but awkward questions about this and a second market bombing two days later from where US missile parts were recovered are left unanswered. 00.36.33 John Kampfner The British government casts doubt on the reliability of the journalists. It says any information that isn't official should be treated with suspicion. 00.36.41 Aston 3rd April 00.36.41 Aston GEOFF HOON MP Defence Secretary What is important about this is all of us should look very sceptically at these kinds of reports, relying only on known and agreed facts. 00.36.50 John Kampfner End of story. The lack of hard facts prompts some journalists to leave Centcom, and one to rebel. 00.37.00 Aston MICHAEL WOLFF New York magazine My final question, after which I was not allowed to ask any more questions, was the question that every reporter was asking, not just every day, but literally every minute, which was& 00.37.11 Michael Wolf Why should we stay? What's the value to us for what we learn at this million-dollar press centre? 00.37.19 Applause 00.37.21 General Vincent Brooks Well sir. I've gotten applause already. That's wonderful. I appreciate that. First I would say it's your choice. We want to provide information that's truthful from the operational headquarters that's running this war. 00.37.33 Michael Wolff I was approached by this guy, Wilkinson. He was sort of the uber-civilian. Also he was wearing a uniform. I said, you know, which was odd, and I said, aren't you a civilian, and he said, yes, but I'm in the reserves. I said, but you're not here in the reserves. Right, he said, right, right. So I said, actually I said, so you're a kind of a paramilitary. So we got immediately off to the wrong the wrong foot. If we were, if we had not already been on completely on the wrong foot now we were. 00.37.07 Jim Wilkinson I'm a big boy. As they say in Texas this ain't my first rodeo. And when reporters start signing my cheques then great. But you know what General Franks signs my cheque and I make news based on his terms. 00.38.18 Michael Wolff He said, this is war, (bleep) hole. He said, don't (bleep) around with things you don't understand. And then finally it was; no more questions for you, why don't you just go home? 00.38.31 Music 00.38.32 John Kampfner Snapshots from the frontline. Media management at Central Command. This twin track was especially important to the coalition in its search for weapons of mass destruction. Any evidence would do, especially for Tony Blair, who time and again cited Saddam's arsenal as the main reason for going to war. 00.38.51 Tony Blair The history of Saddam and weapons of mass destruction is not American or British propaganda. The history and the present threat are real. 00.38.52 Aston 2nd September 2002 00.39.01 John Kampfner Journalists at Centcom are given vague lines about chemical weapons on an almost daily basis without any sign of a smoking gun. 00.39.10 General Vincent Brooks While it hasn't been found, we're reminded that because we haven't found it it's still there. 00.39.15 Reporter 1 Wouldn't it have happened by now? And since it hasn't happened, wouldn't it be reasonable for some people to conclude that they didn't have them or weren't willing to use them. 00.39.24 General Vincent Brooks Well some might come to that conclusion. We don't. 00.39.27 Aston ROBIN COOK MP Former Foreign Secretary Well they were desperate to find something that they could hail as evidence of Saddam's intention to hit us with weapons of mass destruction. After all without that the whole justification of the war started to fall apart. 00.39.37 ABC reporter A paramilitary training facility& 00.39.39 Aston ABC News 00.39.39 John Kampfner Embedded journalists meanwhile are led to any and every site that might contain suspicious substances. The allegation is instantly reported and beamed around the world. 00.39.50 John Kampfner What did it suggest to you that the coalition forces were trying to do in getting those stories out? 00.39.57 Aston Dr HANS BLIX Chief UN Weapons Inspector Well you know it could have been the journalists. They were embedded, as the term was, and they were eager to write a story, I suppose, and they were close to the events, so they would say well here maybe is something that's appetising. And when they looked at it more closely it turned out perhaps to be zero. 00.40.14 Robin Cook Several weeks after the hostilities finished, after they had actually arrested the key players in Saddam's military apparatus they still have not provided a credible weapon of mass destruction, and it becomes increasingly hard to believe that they are going to be able to find such a capacity. 00.40.32 John Kampfner Does it matter any more? Opinion polls in the US show the war was a success even if weapons of mass destruction aren't found. Tony Blair is benefiting from the so-called 'Baghdad bounce'. Those responsible for the media campaign are reflecting on a battle well fought. 00.40.51 Aston JIM WILKINSON US Military Spokesman, Centcom If some people didn't like the way we handled it I think it was one part of just a plain case of too bad, and a second part of probably a little envy by some that they didn't get embedded because the real superstars of this war were those media journalists who were embeds. 00.41.08 John Kampfner The Brits at least tried to get on with the journalists. They might be satisfied with the overall presentation of the war, but they're furious about the Doha operation. 00.41.18 John Kampfner So much so that Simon Wren, Number Ten's man in Doha, has written a confidential note to Alistair Campbell complaining that the American briefers weren't up to the job. 00.41.28 John Kampfner He described the Jessica Lynch presentation as embarrassing. He complained that for the first three days of the war the Americans locked themselves in their offices. 00.41.37 Aston Group Captain AL LOCKWOOD UK Military Spokesman Having lost the first skirmish they pretty much lost the war when it came to media support. And albeit things have got better and everything came to a conclusion quite rapidly. To my feelings is that they lost their initial part of the campaign and they never got on the front foot again. 00.41.56 Group Captain Al Lockwood The media advisor here was an expert in his field. His counterpart on the US side was evasive, was not around as much as he should have been when it came to talking to the media, and in reality what happened was you had two different styles of news media management and I feel fortunate to be, have been part of the UK one. 00.42.19 Jim Wilkinson Qatar was never designed to be the font of all news. The font of all news was designed to be the frontline with our embeds. And it worked out we couldn't be happier. 00.42.27 Music 00.42.29 John Kampfner Such wounds will heal. Washington and London now have a plan for future wars. As the Pentagon made clear, the perception of war affects its cost and duration. Now the media have their designated positions, close up in the front for action shots, or tied up in the rear for the not-so-big picture. 00.42.47 Music 00.42.53 Aston RICHARD SAMBROOK Head of BBC News I think embeds are undoubtedly are the future. There's no question from the military point of view that they provided them with you know a kind of, a, a, a level and quantity of picture which was overall advantageous to them. 00.43.05 Aston DANIEL DEMOUSTIER ITV News cameraman You don't get anything else in that. You only get their view on the situation and at least the independents can try to report on what really is going on, talk to the people. 00.43.19 John Kampfner Are you worried that embeds are the future? 00.43.21 Richard Sambrook I think if, I think if we got to the position where embeds were the only form of conflict coverage that was possible then it would be very one-sided, and you wouldn't get the full picture of what was happening, and that obviously worries me journalistically, yes. 00.43.33 Daniel Demoustier Let them do it. Let the army do it, you know. Just put a colonel there and give soldier a camera and he can say what's happening. 00.43.42 End Music 00.43.44 Aston US Dept of Defence pictures 00.43.48 Voice over You can comment on tonight's programme by visiting our web site at:
Credits 00.43.49 Reporter JOHN SWEENEY Camera DEAN JOHNSON INIGO GILMORE BARRY HECHT PAUL MUNGEAM Dubbing Mixer PHITZ HEARNE VT Editor ROD HUTSON Graphic Design STEVE ENGLAND Production Team JULIA DANNENBERG SARAH EVA MARTHA O'SULLIVAN AGNES TEEK Production Manager JANE WILLEY Unit Manager SUSAN CRIGHTON Film Research NICK DODD Research TOM WATSON Assistant Producers ALEX MILNER BARBARA ARVANITIDIS Producer, Doha ELIZABETH C JONES Picture Editor MARK COLLINS Produced by SANDY SMITH Deputy Editor DAVID BELTON 00.43.58 Voice over Next week - the huge fence being built between Israelis and Palestinians. A vital protection measure or a new Berlin Wall. That's next Sunday. 00.44.08 CORRESPONDENT 00.44.10 Editor KAREN O'CONNOR © BBC MMIII 00.44.13 End BBC Correspondent 1 1 |