Journalism in Iraq

edanto

There's a documentary on CH4 right now about how hard it is for journalists to operate in Iraq.

I've just seen the past 10 minutes or so and after concentrating on the stories of several journalists killed by persons unknown, they had a segment on a massacre by American troops.

It was sickening.

A reporter for Iraqi TV (he died later from his wounds) was on camera by the burning wreck of an APC when a helicopter gunship appeared and started firing at the crowd. At a civillian crowd. A photojournalist for the Guardian was there and said that the crowd were unarmed, contrary to what the Americans said afterwards. That, to me, is evidence of a war crime.

It's back now after the ads and we'll see what the rest is about, but it's worrying that the craziness of the situtation means that the details and atmosphere can't be reported and for all we know it could be worse than anyone feared.

Does anyone know of any sources (blogs etc) in Iraq?

zuma

What was the programme called?

Well its hard to believe that these things dont happen in a warzone...as they do.

Expect a lot of these stories to come out in 20 years when the Oliver Stone of the day makes "realistic" films about the US troops and not the glorified tripe we see of them these days.

Look at the war movies made during the Vietnam War during the Vietnam War....they portrayed the US as kicking ass and saving South Vietnam.
Similar films are being made of the Iraq War now....but wait a generation and well see more realistic films.

edanto

It was called Iraq: The Hidden Story.

And it's very hard hitting. It explains how the journalists making the news reels that we see hardly ever leave the Green Zone and only put together footage shot by brave cameramen. These cameramen are mostly Iraqi and many of them have been killed.

What this means to our news is that the journalists don't get to ask the important questions to the people living in Baghdad, let alone anywhere else, they just report things second hand. They aren't able to follow stories in the traditional sense or easily cross check stories with a variety of sources.

One of the anecdotes that gives a flavour of how dangerous things are is that the cameramen often don't wear their flak jackets for fear of being too easily identified as a target. Unless of course they are on a street with mostly Americans around, in that case they wear the flak jackets because they are afraid of being shot by the Americans.

This is absolutely crazy. I know it's a war zone and of course it's dangerous, but the documentary makes it clear that the whole story CAN'T get out under these conditions. Only a sanitised, distant version of the news can even make it to the editors desks.

I've found a link to the show in Real Player : http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/05/1822136.php

Markham

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/

Dentist writing from Iraq, but has plenty of links to other sources