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Members of media share views on coverage of potential war in Iraq
By MICHAEL JANKOWSKI
Reporter Contributor
Media coverage of any military conflict in Iraq will differ greatly from coverage of the Gulf War a dozen years ago, according to participants in a UB Alumni Association media panel discussion held recently in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
"If there is a new war—and I think there probably will be—the media will have a different opportunity to cover the war than it did a dozen years ago," said CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, B.A. '70. "The military," Blitzer added, "is talking about embedding journalists with units going into battle, giving them the opportunity to be there with the troops so they can chronicle what's going on."
W. David Penniman, dean of the School of Informatics, moderated the panel discussion, posing questions to Emmy and Cable Ace winner Blitzer; editorial cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Toles of The Washington Post; JoAnn Armao, deputy managing editor/metro news for The Washington Post; Pam Benson, senior producer for national security at CNN; Associate Press Radio broadcaster Jim Militello, and Doug Turner, chief Washington correspondent for The Buffalo News.
"During the Gulf War you never saw any video in combat," noted Benson, B.A. '76. "We were never allowed to get near a conflict. The media was heavily restricted and there was a lot of debate with the Pentagon. This time around, they're promising to be open with us to allow us better access."
Better access includes technology such as videophones that allow correspondents to report from anywhere, even while in battle. "At least the TV component will have them," noted Benson, who said she wonders not only if the devices will work when needed, but whether there will be times when it's better not to broadcast. "If we're with the military on a mission of some sort, there are questions. Would broadcasting live jeopardize a troop action? They may not let us broadcast anyway, but those are questions we have to deal with and decide."
The panelists also talked of censorship. "If they (the government) are trying to keep information away from the public and press, it's generally not to protect larger interests, but often to protect themselves, to cover up their mistakes," noted Armao, B.A. '74. "We (members of the media) are citizens and we're not going to do anything that is harmful.
"There are instances where public officials have come to us (at The Washington Post) and made a good case where the release of information would be harmful. I think that generally the press has gone along when a good case has been made," Armao added.
Militello, B.A. '79, concurred. "My big concern is whether the censorship imposed was indeed for security reasons or for self-serving reasons. The tradition of journalists has always been to be the nation's ears and eyes and to ensure that nobody is misbehaving.
"As journalists," he added, "we should be able to get that information to you, even in an ugly situation like war, so that you can ascertain whether our government is conducting itself in a humanitarian way. It would disturb me greatly if we can't see what's going on."
Toles, B.A. '73, said he would find himself—as an editorial cartoonist—in an uncomfortable situation during a war. "When hostilities are under way, it's an awkward time to start raising issues and questions because people are putting their lives on the line," said the former cartoonist for the Buffalo Courier-Express and The Buffalo News.
"During the Gulf War," Toles pointed out, "there really wasn't too much reporting going on. A military spokesperson came into a room, provided details, and he might as well have been writing the stories himself."
Turner, who left UB after a year and transferred to Brown University, was less interested in what technology the media would employ to cover the conflict. "It's my belief that most people are wondering how we got into this in the first place," he said. "I don't think anybody has answered this question. We've built up this huge arsenal and now we're brandishing it, but how have we gotten here?
"Now we're going to go to a war and we're worried about the mechanics? The mechanics really involve only a handful of people in our business; the results involve millions. I think we need a new attitude."
Blitzer said he wondered if the use of videophones might force competitive news agencies into irresponsible reporting that could put soldiers in jeopardy. "Will some reporters try to scoop the competition and violate some regulation? The last thing we want to do as responsible journalists," he said, "is to endanger missions and the lives of U.S. military personnel. We may be journalists, but we're also human beings and Americans.
"War is brutal. Maybe this time we'll see it, but then again, maybe we won't."