Media Group Asks Franks to Order Inquiry

Associated Press ^ | Mar. 26, 2003 | Associated Press

[Dubya]

PARIS - A journalists' watchdog group Wednesday asked U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks, the top commander in Iraq, to order an investigation into the death of a British reporter in the war and the disappearance of his two colleagues.

The British television news network ITN has said it believes its reporter Terry Lloyd was killed Saturday by "friendly fire" from British or American soldiers en route to the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

The whereabouts of Lloyd's colleagues, cameraman Fred Nerac, 43, of France, and Hussein Osman, of Lebanon, are unknown.

Reporters Without Borders quoted another ITN cameraman wounded in the incident as saying ITN's two jeeps came under fire from coalition tanks as they turned back to avoid Iraqi forces. The ITN crew was not traveling with coalition forces as "embedded" journalists.

"They had probably been aiming at the Iraqis, although I am sure the Iraqis were trying to surrender," said cameraman Daniel Demoustier.

France has said it was trying to learn Nerac's fate from non-governmental organizations in Iraq and Iraqi interests in Paris.

After seven days of fighting, two journalists have been reported killed, two reported missing and at least two others wounded, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said. Four journalists were killed during the 1991 Gulf war, it said.

On Wednesday, Newsday Editor Tony Marro said two of that newspaper's journalists on assignment in Baghdad have not been heard from since Monday. He said he was investigating reports the photographer and reporter were being expelled from Iraq.

Marro said that reporter Matt McAllester and photographer Moises Saman were last in contact with editors Monday afternoon - Monday night in Iraq - when they e-mailed to say they would be filing material. The staffers had been in regular contact with the newspaper, getting in touch at least twice a day.

"We didn't hear from them Monday night, we didn't hear from them overnight ... We started trying to get in touch with other reporters," Marro said.

Marro and Joel Simon, acting director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said they had been told that Iraqi officials had ordered the expulsion of journalists who couldn't provide correct visa and media credentials.

The committee said freelance photojournalist Molly Bingham also was reportedly expelled with the Newsday journalists. Her father, Barry Bingham Jr., former publisher of The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., said he last heard from his daughter in a brief e-mail received Saturday. She arrived in Baghdad on March 17.

Molly Bingham worked for 2 1/2 years as former Vice President Al Gore's documentary photographer for the National Archives.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

If your not a friendly and your not an Iraqi civilian you must be a target. Too bad for that journalist because he made his choice. You can't dance in the middle of the freeway and whine to the state police when you get run over.

[SouthernFreebird]

They had probably been aiming at the Iraqis, although I am sure the Iraqis were trying to surrender," said cameraman Daniel Demoustier.

Is that why they turned and ran the other way?

[Dubya]

I wonder what they expect when they go on a battlefield.

[river rat]

"Freelance" reporters in the war zone....
No different from standing in front of bulldozers, or being a human shield sitting in an ammo bunker...

Darwin at work....

Nothing to see here...just road kill..
Semper Fi

[airedale]

If they aren't embedded we're not responsible for them. On the totem pole reporters running around by themselves are just above Iraqi troops.

[Bedford Forrest]

So many journalists, so little time,[Fox News & WashTimes excepted].

[socal_parrot]

The ITN crew was not traveling with coalition forces as "embedded" journalists.

They did not choose wisely.

[two23]

Tory Clark, in a DoD press confernce the other day, warned all journalists that the enemy was posing as "journalists" and there could be some confusion.

[Dubya]

LOL.
Semper Fi

[Dubya]

There has been a lot of warnings. They choice to do what they did.

[Teetop]

These morons decided to travel Iraq on their own & now ITN & others want an inquiry opened to determine what happened? They were idiots, that's what happened!

They blame it on "friendly fire", if that was so, where are the bodies at? It's so obvious a blind man can see the Iraqi's killed them.

[rwfromkansas]

Idiots.

There is already an investigation no doubt.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

The enemy posing as journalists reminds me of how Masood was killed in Afghanistan, immediately before September 11th, happened.

Representative Rohrbacher (sp?) from California called Condoleeza Rice, immediately when he had heard of Masood's death... he KNEW it meant time was up, he KNEW something terrible was going to happen. Rice scheduled a meeting with him for the very next day, the afternoon of September 11th.

[Amerigomag]

Reporters Without Boarders is lying.

The ITN cameraman was interviewed two nights ago on television.

He indicated that when his two vehicle convoy was spotted by Iraqi irregulars the convoy turned and fled. The Iraqi irregulars began chasing them in pickup trucks and fired upon them. The Iraqis then pulled up beside the reporters and forced the reporters vechicles off the road, firing all the while. When the cameraman, who was driving, recovered his senses after the crash, the passanger door was open and his companion was gone. Probably throw out of the vechicle during the crash.

The cameraman ran into a nearby ditch and hid/escaped into the night.

[Dubya]

Thank you for this info.

[Amerigomag]

I'm really incensed by this article.

If I saw this interview on ABC during prime time, so did the AP.

My only thought is that this report was filed in Kuwait and not fact checked by US editors before publishing.

[two23]

"The enemy posing as journalists reminds me of how Masood was killed in Afghanistan, immediately before September 11th, happened."

You're right, I forgot about that. Killed by someone posing as the press. Well, the free-lancers have been warned (they are not embedded with military) and have no "cover". Dangerous business in a hostile land where you can't trust ANYONE.

[two23]

"There has been a lot of warnings. They chose to do what they did."

True.