Posted on 11/17/2004 12:37:22 PM PST by freakboy
Kevin Sites, NBC Reporter Who Photographed Marine Shooting, An Active War Correspondent
POSTED: 10:39 am EST November 17, 2004
NEW YORK -- Video of a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded man in Fallujah was captured by an Internet Age journalist who often reports and photographs war stories, then posts his impressions on his own weblog.
Kevin Sites, a freelancer who works part time for NBC News, was being kept under wraps by the network Tuesday as the investigation into the shooting continued.
The youthful, long-haired Sites has worked for NBC, CNN and ABC News and has covered war zones in Afghanistan and Colombia. He had extensive experience in Iraq, where he was embedded with a Marines unit during the operation in Fallujah.
"He is a skilled reporter, a skilled videojournalist who is willing to go and chronicle the news in the difficult places, under difficult conditions," said Bill Wheatley, NBC News vice president.
Sites handled the incident "completely professionally," Wheatley said, recognizing the importance of the story and reporting its aftermath.
While working for CNN a year ago, Sites and a crew were held captive for several hours by Iraqi Fedayeen who accused them of being spies. His hands were bound behind his back and an AK-47 round fired at his feet.
Sites left CNN, he later said, partly because the company would not let him maintain a weblog on his war reporting. CNN declined to comment on Sites Tuesday.
There are no such problems at NBC News: Anchorman Brian Williams even promoted the name of his site at the end of Sites' "Nightly News" report Monday.
His site, www.kevinsites.net, contains his diary of the action in Fallujah. It describes traveling with the Marines and encountering bodies of dead Iraqis along the way: "This one is dressed in clean white sneakers and athletic pants. He is on his back -- his arms behind his head, his face seems nearly peaceful, content."
He also posts pictures of the Marines on patrol and, in off hours, displaying pictures of their families and their tattoos.
Nothing was posted on the weekend incident in a Fallujah mosque, however.
Sites has described his blog as a way for readers to understand more of the experience of being in a war zone.
"Readers want to share your adventure," he told Broadcasting & Cable magazine last summer. "What you see in the paper or on TV tends to be the cleaned-up version. I didn't tell you I had to sleep in the dirt to tell a story for TV."
Sites works only part time for NBC News because he's a filmmaker with his own production company, Shoot First Films. He lives in Pismo Beach, Calif., and taught journalism at California Polytechnic State in San Luis Obispo in 2000-2001.
"He has skills in a number of areas, so he's the classic multitasking journalist," Wheatley said. "He can shoot (a camera), he can report, he can build a Web site, he edits."
Look. It's war. But the main issue here is that the video should have been given to the Marines for them to investigate NOT published for the following reasons:
1) NBC et al do not show the beheadings and other executions of civilians because they say they are too gruesome...then why this one?
2) The use of the video by the enemy is going to cause more deaths of our soldiers. AlJazeera showed THIS video, but did not air the execution of the British woman,saying it was too graphic
3) Embedded journalists will be a hindrance to our troops. If our guys have to second guess themselves and not shoot because the videos rolling, troops will die.
I don't know if this Marine is wrong or right. It needs to investigated in a way that does not harm our troops on the ground NOT in the press.
They knew Al Jazeera would do their dirty work for them - and they did.
That looks to me like pictures of Afghanis soldiers. Was he in Afghanistan? I still question how he got released from being hostage in Iraq. That is very suspicious to me.
Not sure. When I first heard about embedded reporters I foolishly thought it might be a good thing for the media to see first-hand. Unfortunately for all of us, the media doesn't make any money reporting on "the buildings that didn't catch on fire".
Its all about you Kevin isn't it? Your skills, your hardships and your values.
What about the Marines that have probably saved your ass countless times. What about their skills, their hardships and their values.
The Marines have a set of values that includes looking out for one another, fighting to protect their buddies. It is entirely possible the Marine hero that shot the Islamist fighter saved your life.
And what did you do - you turned on him. This is not a Geneva Convention war. These people will kill without provication. The only safe Islamic Fighter is a dead one.
By your actions you have put every combat photographer in danger. They might get fragged - the fragging you deserve.
the fact that NBC ran this piece tells you that they are under tremendous heat and are circling the wagons...keep it up!
The headgear looks Afghani -- friend or foe, and when taken?
Yeah, his getting free again intrigued me, also. We need to learn more about this guy and give him a break if he deserves it and his comeuppances if he doesn't -- big time.
During the campaign, I heard John Kerry, on numerous occasions, say that he "would hunt the terrorists down and kill them". Well, the guy was a TERRORIST and the Marine killed him, what's the problem?
"During the campaign, I heard John Kerry, on numerous occasions, say that he "would hunt the terrorists down and kill them". Well, the guy was a TERRORIST and the Marine killed him, what's the problem?"
Good one.
That is a wonderful poem. Thanks for the post.
Rhetoric, my friend, rhetoric.
"If you are in Baghdad and you get a dirty look"
Stop being a smart a$$, newbie. You are not fooling anyone with this crap.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
The Marine(s) are decent. If they weren't, they'd have taken a lesson from the mob, "Leave no witnesses." and thus the WWW site would be unmanned.
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