Journalist group calls US to account over Iraq

Guardian ^ | 02/18/05 | Dominic Timms

[Pikamax]

Journalist group calls US to account over Iraq

Dominic Timms Friday February 18, 2005

The US government was today accused of hiding behind a "culture of denial" over the deaths of at least 12 journalists who are alleged to have perished at the hands of the US military in Iraq.

Re-igniting the debate that US soldiers deliberately "targeted" journalists during the Iraqi occupation, a press freedom body called on the US to take "responsibility" for its actions in the country.

Responding to what it said was the "hounding out" of the CNN news chief, Eason Jordan, the International Federation of Journalists called on the US administration to come clean over its "mistakes" in the region.

Since US, British and other soldiers first began Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, more than 70 journalists have been killed in the country.

The IFJ said that at least 12 journalists had met their deaths at the "hands of US soldiers", including the killings of Taras Protsyuk of Reuters and Jose Couso of Spain's Telecinco after US tanks opened fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.

The US military claimed the tanks had been responding to small arms fire coming from the hotel, which housed journalists who were non-embedded with military forces, but later withdrew the claim saying: soldiers fired at "what was believed to be an enemy firing platform and observation point".

Almost a year after journalists' groups first demanded it, a US military investigation into the attack found that "no fault or negligence" could be attributed to US soldiers.

As part of a move to establish a new journalist body in Iraq, to be known as the Iraqi National Journalists Council, the IFJ said it would hold demonstrations across the country on the anniversary of the Palestine Hotel attack.

"On that day journalists around the world will once again protest over impunity [and] secrecy over media deaths and, in particular, at the failure of the United States to take responsibility for its actions in Iraq which have led to the killing of journalists," said the IFJ general secretary, Aidan White.

He said that the resignation of CNN's Eason Jordan had been orchestrated by a vitriolic campaign by the US right wing.

Mr Eason was forced to quit after suggesting that that US forces had deliberately targeted journalists in Iraq, though he later clarified his comments, saying that he never meant to imply that "US forces acted with ill intent when US forces accidentally killed journalists."

Mr White said the CNN news executive had been "hounded out by a toxic mix of hysteria, intolerance and ignorance" and said the IFJ would continue its campaign "until Washington is ready to admit its mistakes

[JesseJane]

fyi ping

[OXENinFLA]

Now I REALLY want to see the EASON tape.....

[Bahbah]

after US tanks opened fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.

Oh FGS, if they had been aiming it would have been alot worse.

[facedown]

The Guardian has reached comic book status.

[Sax]

Nicet try guys, the little experiment in symbiosis by having insurgents hide amongst journalists led to just one thing - unfortunate collateral damage. It's a war zone. If you are co-located with the enemy - willing or not, you will be in mortal danger - tough fact - now deal with it.

[OXENinFLA]

after US tanks opened fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. Because our Soldiers thought he was about to fire a rocket at them in a war zone.....Turned out to be a camera instead of a RGP.

[T.Smith]

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the war zone.

[TheForceOfOne]

We need a new section to the print news, Editorial Fiction. In this section all pundits can lay claim to every stupid liberal idea that crosses their tiny little brains and know one will get offended.

[dirtboy]

IMO this is clearly an attempt at a counteroffensive by liberal MSM media. They are more concerned about what happened to Jordan than they are about getting to the bottom of this - so they will now treat the alleged deliberate targeting of journalists by American forces as fact, which in their mind puts the onus on our military to prove that they were not targeting journalists, instead of on them to prove that there was deliberate targeting.

It's the exact same tactic CBS used with the TANG memos - they tried to shift the burden of proof regarding the memos to the critics. They only fooled themselves and those who wanted to be fooled. The same thing is happening here, and this will only polarize the two camps further.

[Howlin]

Oh, cool! I love a good fight when one side has all the facts and the other side is flat out lying.

[Bahbah]

Turned out to be a camera instead of a RGP.

I did not know that. Thanks, O.

[JesseJane]

DB, This also PROVES to me, that Eason did in fact, make these allegations at the WEF in DAVOS, and that it WAS NOT misunderstood or misreported. It ALSO shows a connection with CNN and this foreign journalist group, which, is intent on blaming America for the deaths of journo's running around Iraq. (Who were not embeds...)

How neatly this ties in with an item here yesterday: UNESCO Remembers Assassinated Journalists:

UNESCO encourages press freedom and campaigns for greater safety of media professionals.

IMO, CNN has been exposed as at least one 'news' organization that is actually an international anti-American propaganda machine.

[Poohbah]

Half a league, half a league, half a league onward...
Into the Valley of Blogs rode the Elite Media...

[MEG33]

http://sisypheanmusings.blogspot.com/
SCHONFELD: But remember that a US tank rolled up in front of the Hotel Palestine which is where all the journalists were, right when we moved into Baghdad, turned the turret around, pointed its gun, and fired up at the building, and killed--

KILMEADE: That's what CNN reported.

SCHONFELD: No, that's what is reported. The guy from Reuters was killed, and a Spanish journalist was killed. Nobody knows why. The US Army has never completed its investigation into that incident. At best that was friendly fire; they say they thought the guy with a camera was a sniper. So it happens to everybody.[emphasis added]

blogger comment:

"OK, I'm getting to the point where I think the reason journalists think that the military might be targeting them is because journalists have their heads firmly planted in their own 4th point of contact and just make sh*t up. The Army report has been linked at the CPJ site since November last year, for crying out loud!

I'll ask again: "Why is the Palestine Hotel still being cited? Why is it cited without mentioning statements from Jules Crittenden, David Zucchino, Chris Tomlinson and Greg Kelly? Why no mention of the released Army investigation (pdf, 18.9MB)?"

Look, if you "journalists" want to blame the blogosphere because you lose your jobs after making incredibly ignorant, arrogant statements that are just factually wrong ... fine. You are doing this to yourselves. You've been giving away your credibility for decades. We're just holding up the mirror."

Just found this..

[Zacs Mom]

It is interesting that the International Federation of Journalist's numbers differ so vastly from the UN's!?
See: UNESCO Remembers Assassinated Journalists
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1345305/posts

[Scott from the Left Coast]

OK, here's America's accountability

Now, where's journalism's accountability?

[JudgemAll]

We should have journalists investigated for bringing selectively charges around against America and not against others.

[Alia]

THIS IS TOOO FUNNY!

Start listening to the drumbeats... "WE NEED CNN IN IRAQ TO HEAR THE "TERRORIST" VOICE". The voiceless... Oh My!

And another drumbeat... "we need mandatory broadcasts on this subject". McCain-Feingold, anyone? How about Turner Network "owning" and running the media in the new Middle-East. And our local, domestic "oppressed, voiceless wonders" able to be aired in "oppressed, voiceless wonders" Iraq and Afghanistan and those parts therein.

The MSM has blown this one, IMHO. They protested too much.

It's about money (guaranteed return for investors of this new "media"), and spreading "partial" news advocacy all around the world.

[leprechaun9]

I am always amazed at people who believe they can walk around in a war zone and be safe from what happens.

Also in hurricane season, to see Dan Blather standing in the surf in Sea Bright, NJ and telling the viewers that the wind is intensifying and the surf is getting rough. Hey Dan, it's time to get in out the weather elements! We understand what happens in a hurricane!