Media body says Australian journalist killed in Iraq

AP | Saturday, March 22, 2003

[JohnHuang2]

Media body says Australian journalist killed in Iraq

PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) - Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Saturday an Australian journalist working for U.S. network ABC had been killed by a car bomb in northern Iraq.

The blast happened at a checkpoint outside the village of Khurmal, near the Iranian border, it said in a statement.

The media body quoted a photographer who witnessed the attack as saying that it appeared to be aimed at the many journalists who were present at the time. Another journalist was injured, it added.

A spokeswoman for the Paris-based organisation said details about the dead journalist had come from the photographer.

The group also noted that in a separate incident, three journalists from Britain's Independent Television News (ITN) were missing and another was injured.

"These men have paid a high price for their willingness to report freely and fully on military operations in Iraq," the group said in the statement.

[JohnHuang2]

Saturday, March 22, 2003

Quote of the Day by rintense

[anniegetyourgun]

"These men have paid a high price for their willingness to report freely and fully on military operations in Iraq," the group said in the statement."

I wonder if they even got to 'report freely and fully' before they were taken out.

[GB]

As a working journalist, I hate to hear that. I'm not going to sit here and tell you there aren't a lot of journalists over there who are probably in their heart of hearts diametrically opposed to everything we're trying to do over there and opposed to U.S. policy as a whole. I'd be lying if I did. But I'd wager there are more folks than you think over there who are just trying to do a job, i.e. informing people.

I know things have changed as the press has gravitated left over the years, but there's a long and illustrious history of war correspondents reporting from battle. There's a two-volume set called "Reporting World War II" that features some of the best reporting from that era by some of the greats of journalism. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Anyone who reads the great Ernie Pyle's dispatches from Normandy following D-Day and doesn't get choked up simply isn't human.

[mtbopfuyn]

That's sad. Sad for all who have been killed in this.

[RAT Patrol]

My sympathy to our friends in Australia

[RAT Patrol]

But I'd wager there are more folks than you think over there who are just trying to do a job, i.e. informing people.

I'm sure you are right but it is hard to remember that a lot of times. Anyway, I've enjoyed the coverage and it's kept journalists busy actually reporting facts -- less time to speculate. Plus, with their own lives on the line, they aren't too motivated to put getting the story over safety. That's certainly a plus.

Thanks for the book recommendation.