Breaking: Journalist Michael Kelly Killed at Baghdad Airport

ABC radio news | 4-4-03

[Rudder]

Just announced 5 minutes ago, journalist Michael Kelley embedded with US troops for the Atlantic Monthly Magazine was reported killed during the military action at Baghdad International airport.

That's all.

[cyncooper]

Why is this any sadder that any lost life? Lots of troops have lost their lives. This man chose to be there. When you time is up, it's up.

Because some of us enjoyed his writings, perhaps we feel a little connection and are mourning losing someone we felt we "knew" in just a little way.

[Clioman]

How very, very sad...Kelly [w/others] had done wonders to return The Atlantic to greatness. All you have to do is to lay it alongside Harpers to see how much influence a strong editor can have...for good [in the case of The Atlantic] or ill [Harpers].

[Rudder]

The Washington Post's Michael Kelly, or someone with the same name?

Unfortunately, I don't have any other information. There's only one journalist Michael Kelley that I have ever heard of. My guess is that it is one and the same.

[LibertyJihad]

The new Atlantic Monthly came in the mail yesterday and as usual, I read his column first. He was damn good. Lucianne regularly posted a "Michael Kelly fix". Why couldn't it have been Michael Kinsley.

[litany_of_lies]

Oh jeez, can't you acknowledge that when we read the columns of a writer we like over a period of years we feel a sense of connection to him/her? So a little bit of sympathy and grief is appropriate?

Nobody said his life was more important than that of any soldier killed, just like nobody ever said Ernie Pyle was more important than any soldier killed in WW2, even though very few of us can name individuals outside of their immediate families who lost their lives in that war.

I'm sure there was quite an outpouring of sympathy for Pyle as well, and nobody complained that it distracted from respect for dead soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

[shhrubbery!]

Because some of us enjoyed his writings, perhaps we feel a little connection and are mourning losing someone we felt we "knew" in just a little way.

Well said. It was the same for me when Barbara Olsen was murdered on 9/11, except that that event brought anger as well as mourning.

[Numbers Guy]

This is really sad.

Kelly was named editor of the New Republic a few years ago, but was forced out by owner Martin Peretz because Kelly was too rough on Peretz buddy Al Gore. He then moved on to writing very incisive columns about the corruption of the Clinton/Gore administration.

One of my favorite Kelly columns was from a couple months ago about German foreign minister Fischer. It's worth a read:

http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/kell0211.htm

[Angelwood]

Very sad news -- prayers for Michael Kelly and his family.

[Rudder]

It did say: Atlantic Monthly Magazine.

[Salvation]

Prayers for him and his family and for all of the soldiers and their families.

[Rudder]

I spelled the name from listening to a radio report. I must have gotten in wrong.

[dep]

fyi -- abc radio repeated the story in the newscast just completed.

dep

[Timesink]

I'm just amazed by the drive that journalists have to volunteer for this.

You haven't seen ego until you've been in a newsroom. Imagine Geraldo Planet.

[Rudder]

My apologies for the typo, Of course I meant Baghdad, but I was in such a hurry to get this posted.

[Timesink]

This is the Michael Kelly. He's the editor of the Atlantic Monthly. He's the top conservative columnist, and the most respected.

The whole magazine is conservative as a whole, IHMO. I happily subscribe.

[nina0113]

ping & check your freepmail

[Timesink]

At this point, the WaPo site says the journalist and soldier killed have not been ID'd pending notification of next of kin.

If so, this would make it the SECOND time that ABCNEWS Radio has intentionally violated the CENTCOM embargo on reporting names of POWs/MIAs before the families were notified. They were the ones that reported Pfc. Lynch's rescue a good 30-40 minutes before they were supposed to.

Sounds like they may need a good Freeping.

[nina0113]

OK, I'm pretty sure the family doesn't lurk here so I will post this:

I made a phone call & got confirmation. It is not being announced by the magazine because they want to make sure the family is notified first. I told my contact that it was already on the radio & the internet & sent them this link.

[litany_of_lies]

Maybe, maybe not on the CENTCOM embargo. WaPo's link to teh story is as of 7:55 AM, but the page was updated at 10:05. So it's hard to tell if WaPo just hasn't updated the story or is still honoring an embargo.

If ABC is violating CENTCOM again, there ought to be some kind of enforceable sanction. I believe the news organizations had to sign an agreement to have embeds.

[MEG33]

I was hoping it was rumor. A fine writer.