Posted on 10/03/2004 2:15:01 PM PDT by MindBender26
This is not new, but deserves re-telling
A few years ago, Peter Jennings, Mike Walace, Gen Westmoreland (Ret.) and about a dozen others participated in a PBS round table discussion of American media covering the war. Dan Rather was not there.
In this program, Mike Wallace admitted that he would let American soldiers die so he could "get the story." He later described the event to Charlie Gibson.
- - - Start Mike Wallace interview with Charlie Gibson. - - - -
"It was one of those Fred Friendly seminars on television and the hypothetical (question) was that Jennings, Wallace, got the opportunity to go out on patrol with .. a North Vietnamese patrol in the Vietnam war .. with a camera crew and so forth. All of a sudden about 150 yards away, they suddenly realized there's a South Vietnamese patrol coming and with them maybe half a dozen American advisors.
"Now here you are. You're an American, you're a reporter, you've finally gotten the opportunity to cover this story, and suddenly you see South Vietnamese and more important ... Americans there too. The questioner, Charlie Ogletree, a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School .. said to Mr. Jennings, "Peter, what do you do?" Peter thought for a full 10 or 15 seconds and then said, "Well, I'd probably lose my life for doing it, but I would call, I would shout, and I would warn my American countrymen what was about to happen to them, that they were about to walk into an ambush."
"Charlie turns to me. "Mr. Wallace, what about yourself?" Well, I am a contrarian by nature. Mind you, this is live on tape, and it's going to be broadcast and you're thinking oh, come on. I say, "I'm a reporter. I'm a reporter here to cover this story." It didn't occur to me at that moment that I'd undoubtedly get killed the way that Jennings thought he was going to get killed if he were to shout. But when you are covering a story of that nature or any nature, what are you first? You are, in my estimation, a reporter."
"Incidentally, I was sitting beside, on the panel, General William Westmoreland who looked at me like a hair in his soup."
"Jennings listened to me and said, 'You know something? I'm sorry I didn't think it through correctly. Mike was right. We are reporters first."
---- end of Mike Wallace interview - - -
Mike Wallace went on to say " I'm not an American first, I'm a reporter first.
Next time some no-nothing tells you that themedia are not leftist, Anti-Americans, remind them of this.
In 2004, they sit and wringtheir hands about American in Iraq. A few years ago, they were willing to cause those casualties.
My personal feelings; if you're not an American first, you're not an American.
American CASUALTIES in Iraq
They can come looking for a story at my place. They'll be on the front page the next day.
I'd probably go to jail for saying who I would sacrifice for a story.
Isn't it just great these American soldiers provide Mr. Wallace and Mr. Jennings the freedom to be "journalists"?
So he's a . . stateless American?
And, obviously, they have aided in the killing of US troops, even in Afganistan and Iraq by their coverage which favors the enemy.
So, like, why do you think these reporters get to hang out with the enemy so often? Do you think Ernie Pyle would have been able to sit down with Hitler?
Take a peek at reply #7
Peter Jennings is a Canadian who should go back there, Mike Wallace is an incontinent old fool who should relocate. I agree with the others, I could give them a story if they`d like.
Just remember who some of the "sources" are that they protect, and this is no surprise.
I remember about a case several years ago where the reporter went to jail for contempt for refusing to name a source who was either witness to, or complicit in, a murder. Several others over the years.
Can't compromise a confidential source, you know; that might have a chilling effect and all that rot.
Only chilling effect I want for the "reporters" who subscribe to this "ethic" is their body cooling at the end of a rope.
It is NOT a joke or urban legend.
I recall very well how shocked and angry I was to hear the media willing to sacrifice our American military for a story. I'll never forgive them for that.
I remember seeing that PBS Roundtable, MindBender. I believe that it was hosted by Dr. Benno Schmidt.
One of the major topics was a hypothetical regarding Pathfinders on the beach prior to Invasion.
Would members of the media announce to the world that the Pathfinders were on the way? To a man, every member of the media at the Roundtable replied "Yes'.
I forget which admiral replied "You'd have a real hard time doing it from the brig!"
Another hypothetical was the possibility of an American reporter having knowlege of an ambush. Should the reporter be required to let American forces know of the impeding attack? Again, the answer was an unanimous. But "No!"
The hypothetical was taken a step further. In that, should US forces be used to free the reporter after the ambush had occurred and prisoners were taken.
Again, a unamimous "Yes!".
Personally, I'd have busted in on the Bad Guys. Then put a bullet in Mike Wallace's forehead. But that's just me.
Jack.
I watched the entire sickening thing on PBS. If this is the one I believe it is it was hosted by a Harvard Prof. Wallace flat out said that he would not warn Americans of an ambush if he were with an enemy unit as a reporter. He's an absolutre POS. Ask Patty Hearst if this way of thinking really works, Mikey.
I saw the PBS show. Here is the rest of the story. I am paraphrasing this, but it is essentially true.
The moderator later asked one of the military officers what he would do if a journalist was caught in a crossfire and the enemy was shooting at him (the reporter). Would he risk the lives of American soldiers to rescue him? Without missing a beat, the officer replied, "Of course not, he's not an American, he's a journalist." After a short pause, he said "Of course we would try to rescue him. We have a different code we live by."
A few of the journalist on the panel, to their credit, looked humiliated.
Let's change the scenario. The reporters are on patrol with the old South African government. They come upon Nelson Mandela's militia about to be ambushed. What do they do?
Correction:
Mike Wallace went on to say " I'm not an American".
End of story.
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