Posted on 05/15/2005 9:07:53 PM PDT by Dark Wing
The clip below is from an Oct 10, 2001 MRC special section on terrorism:
Contrast Hoyt’s attitude to the one expressed by CBS’s Mike Wallace and ABC’s Peter Jennings during a 1989 forum on PBS. The two network stars agreed that if they were traveling with enemy troops and learned of an ambush planned to kill U.S. soldiers they would not provide any warning.
A reprint from the April 1989 MediaWatch, a monthly newsletter then-published by the MRC:
Peter Jennings and Mike Wallace Agree Reporters First, Americans Second
In a future war involving U.S. soldiers what would a TV reporter do if he learned the enemy troops with which he was traveling were about to launch a surprise attack on an American unit? That's just the question Harvard University professor Charles Ogletree Jr, as moderator of PBS' Ethics in America series, posed to ABC anchor Peter Jennings and 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace. Both agreed getting ambush footage for the evening news would come before warning the U.S. troops.
For the March 7 installment on battlefield ethics Ogletree set up a theoretical war between the North Kosanese and the U.S.-supported South Kosanese. At first Jennings responded: "If I was with a North Kosanese unit that came upon Americans, I think I personally would do what I could to warn the Americans."
Wallace countered that other reporters, including himself, "would regard it simply as another story that they are there to cover." Jennings' position bewildered Wallace: "I'm a little bit of a loss to understand why, because you are an American, you would not have covered that story."
"Don't you have a higher duty as an American citizen to do all you can to save the lives of soldiers rather than this journalistic ethic of reporting fact?" Ogletree asked. Without hesitating Wallace responded: "No, you don't have higher duty... you're a reporter." This convinces Jennings, who concedes, "I think he's right too, I chickened out."
Ogletree turns to Brent Scrowcroft, now the National Security Adviser, who argues "you're Americans first, and you're journalists second." Wallace is mystified by the concept, wondering "what in the world is wrong with photographing this attack by North Kosanese on American soldiers?" Retired General William Westmoreland then points out that "it would be repugnant to the American listening public to see on film an ambush of an American platoon by our national enemy."
A few minutes later Ogletree notes the "venomous reaction" from George Connell, a Marine Corps Colonel. "I feel utter contempt. Two days later they're both walking off my hilltop, they're two hundred yards away and they get ambushed. And they're lying there wounded. And they're going to expect I'm going to send Marines up there to get them. They're just journalists, they're not Americans."
Wallace and Jennings agree, "it's a fair reaction." The discussion concludes as Connell says: "But I'll do it. And that's what makes me so contemptuous of them. And Marines will die, going to get a couple of journalists."
END Reprint
Let’s hope neither Wallace or Jennings are given an opportunity to travel with any enemy troops or cells.
Words don't incite
Im not saying Newsweek was right, Im saying that they were not the ones who incited the people.
The incitement was brought on by Imran Khan and the Arab Media.
no, you don't have a higher duty...you're bottom feeding creature of the deep and dark.
If embedded journalists started leaking the enemies plans to the US, the enemy would stop allowing reporters to follow them around in an instant. With the reporters gone, we're still going to get ambushed every other time. Of course, if it was me in the journalists shoes and I had the opportunity to maybe stop an ambush, I would probably go for it.
newsweek's journalism is about liberalism which is about socilaism which is about
doing whatever is necessary to take the property of others whether it be by lawsuit, tax. politics or falsehood
newsweek seeks to drive world anger against those that protect property rights
"Newsweek -- Reporters Before They are Americans"
Fine, then, they should all go live in Geneva ...
"Fortunately the legacy media's circulation and ratings continue going down the toilet".
Yes, that's true.
Unfortunately, but par for the course, people died as a result.
I heard NEWSWEEK's faux "retraction" on the radio this morning.
It was as self-serving/blame-deflecting as one would expect.
Treason and sedition, the journalist's standards.
Newsweek is just another liberal ship going down in the deep blue sea.
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