Canada pulled reporters from Afghanistan after Aust complaints

Australian Broadcasting Corporation ^ | 31 December 2006

[Aussie Dasher]

Documents released today have confirmed a number of journalists embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan were removed on short notice after complaints from other nations including the United States and Australia.

According to the documents, several of Canada's allies had complained the country's policy on embedded journalists was too liberal.

A Canadian Defence Department source has confirmed Australia was one of the nations that did the most complaining.

The actual incident occurred in April, when four journalists were removed from their embedded positions after very short notice.

In at least one case, a helicopter was sent in during fighting to remove the reporter.

The Canadian Defence Department says the allies considered the country's policy overly-progressive and risky.

It also says placating allies will always triumph over the media embed program.

[Aussie Dasher]

Sounds like a good case for a little 'friendly fire'...

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Were these "journalists" giving information to the enemy like whoraldo did by drawing maps that showed battle information?

[JoanneSD]

It seems to me that these "embedded" jounalists are so eager to be on the front lines, that they should enlist, and serve their countries better in that capacity..

[Northern Alliance]

I wonder what was really going on.

[Clive]

-

[kanawa]

Ping

?

[kanawa]

Damn :~)

[Calvin Locke]

During one of Zimbabwe's "elections" this decade, the BBC got thrown out of the country, while the CBC did not, iirc.

FWIW, the CBC on shortware (it's RCI - Radio Canada Int'l) was the first place I heard about the UN's Food for Sex abuses, months before the LSM in the rest of the civilized world picked it up.

[tlb]

One blatant instance of an embed reporter with an damaging agenda comes to mind, the shooting in the mosque incident. Past that nearly all the embed reporting I've seen has been informative and useful. It's the reporters and producers outside the program in their Green Zone hangouts and broadcasts who twist things to fit their agenda.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"It seems to me that these "embedded" jounalists are so eager to be on the front lines, that they should enlist, and serve their countries better in that capacity."

If they did that, they wouldn't be wearing our uniforms. That's for shure!

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[Rockiette]

A helicopter was sent in during fighting? Risking lives to save reporters should not be a policy of any force and the Aussies have every right to have them removed. The arrogance and politics that comes with most of these people is reason enough to have them only go in when it endangers none of the troops.

[Uriah_lost]

I'd bet it was just a pattern of ignoring directions from the soldiers, endangering themselves and others. No soldier wants to have to fight and babysit at the same time.

[airborne]

In at least one case, a helicopter was sent in during fighting to remove the reporter.

Crying like a little b!t@h!~

[Aussie Dasher]

I could be wrong, but I got the impression the reporter was endangering the troops. As I say, friendly fire...

[Clive]

"A helicopter was sent in during fighting? Risking lives to save reporters should not be a policy of any force and the Aussies have every right to have them removed."

I took a different meaning from the article.

It seemed to me that the chopper was not sent to save a reporter.

Rather, it looks to me that it was sent to remove a dangerous nuisance.

Perhaps the reporter was interfering with the buzz saw while it was busy cutting wood.

[airborne]

I'd like to know the rest of the story.

I wonder why it wasn't reported what the reporter was doing.

[Aussie Dasher]

Probably a case of bloody journos protecting bloody journos!!!

[Robert Drobot]

A "....reporter was endangering the troops...." isn't what I'd call "friendly"!

[Aussie Dasher]

But if they happened to inadvertently get a bullet from one of our boys, it would be very 'friendly'...