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Media watchdog says concerned CNN had armed guard
Reuters | 4/13/03

Posted on 04/13/2003 9:48:09 AM PDT by kattracks

Media watchdog says concerned CNN had armed guard

PARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - A media watchdog expressed concern on Sunday that a CNN team reporting from Iraq was travelling with an armed guard, saying it set a "dangerous precedent" that could imperil other journalists.

Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) made the comments after an incident in the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit in which a security guard hired by CNN fired his machinegun at a checkpoint when the CNN convoy came under gunfire.

"This behaviour creates a dangerous precedent that could imperil all other reporters covering this conflict and others in the future," Robert Menard, RSF secretary general, said in a statement.

"There is a real risk that belligerents will believe all press vehicles are armed," he said, adding that the use of armed private security guards only increased the confusion between reporters and combatants in the conflict.

Media organisations have employed armed guards to protect premises in particularly dangerous places.

But a spokesman for the Paris-based media watchdog said it was unprecedented for journalists to travel with armed guards in conflict zones.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time press vehicles have travelled with armed security guards. It did not happen in the Balkans and it didn't occur in the first Gulf War," RSF spokesman Jean-Francois Julliard said.

"CNN appears to be going too far. This could come back to haunt them and other journalists. Journalists should not be travelling around with armed guards," he added.

Matthew Firman, a CNN spokesman in the U.S. city of Atlanta, said the team of reporters had come under small arms and automatic weapons fire from "relatively close range" either on the way in or out of Tikrit.

He said an Iraqi Kurd, hired as a security guard, had opened fire in response and been lightly wounded in the exchange. No one else was hurt.

Pointing to an earlier CNN report of an alleged assassination plot by Iraqi agents against its reporters in the north, Firman said locals had been hired in Kurdish-controlled Iraq to protect the station's journalists.

"Presumably we hire them to protect us, so if firing their weapon is required to protect themselves and our team, then that is appropriate," he said, in response to questions about CNN's policy of hiring armed guards.

"We only put our teams in situations in which we can do our best to ensure their safety. If it means hiring armed guards or security consultants we will do that. The security of our team is paramount," Firman said.

04/13/03 12:41 ET


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: armedguard; brentsadler; cnn; kurds; rsf; tikrit
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To: hgro
"CNN should not have been there in the lst place."

Mega dittos! And, if they feel it necessary to have armed guards, then that, in itself, should tell them not to go there.
21 posted on 04/13/2003 10:17:01 AM PDT by whadizit
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To: jimbo123
I wonder what the gun control lefties at the Coverup News Network think about this?

Rules are for the little people.

22 posted on 04/13/2003 10:17:07 AM PDT by aristeides
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To: kattracks
Very liberal with the truth

NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS- CNN

Excellent comment

23 posted on 04/13/2003 10:17:38 AM PDT by joesnuffy (Moderate Islam Is For Dilettantes)
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To: kattracks
Media watchdog says concerned CNN had armed guard

Interesting development from the network that loves and supports any and all gun control initiatives.

24 posted on 04/13/2003 10:21:19 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
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CNN thought that taking over a town was a cakewalk.

The CNN reporters deluded themselves into believing that they will be able to "take over" Tigrit before our military got there.

Now they have been shown for the fools they are.

25 posted on 04/13/2003 10:24:21 AM PDT by george wythe
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To: kattracks
Look at this as a practice run for CNN during the next 3-5 years in Iraq.

They'll need armed guards to protect themselves against the IRAQI PEOPLE for at least that long because of their collective silence, from Eason Jordan on down, about Saddam's murder and torture, in return for their precious "access," and their slanted anti-war coverage leading up to the conflict, in spite of what they collectively knew.

26 posted on 04/13/2003 10:24:57 AM PDT by litany_of_lies
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To: kattracks
This is all inside baseball stuff. Journalists have always hired locals to give them safe passage to and through dangerous areas. And what that CNN guy Jordan reported in the NYT the other day was well known as SOP and well-reported.
Save your ire for the important stuff.
27 posted on 04/13/2003 10:25:31 AM PDT by thegreatbeast (Quid lucrum istic mihi est?)
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To: kattracks
Sounds like a great idea to me!

This "problem" is self-correcting.
CNN, however, better start interviewing replacement correspondents.

28 posted on 04/13/2003 10:28:16 AM PDT by Publius6961 (p>)
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To: sargon
Exactly the point! Some folks in the USA and other nations have forgotten this exact concept, and the "Creative News Network" seems to be selective as to how the endorse such behavior.
29 posted on 04/13/2003 10:30:44 AM PDT by minmospop
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To: kattracks
Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), expressed concern on Sunday that a CNN team reporting from Iraq was travelling with an armed guard, saying it set a "dangerous precedent" that could imperil other journalists.

In response, a convoy of 24 armed CNN "technicals" mounted a "Thunder Roll" operation against the RSF inflicting heavy casualties and capturing over a dozen RSF prisoners.

30 posted on 04/13/2003 10:32:46 AM PDT by Polybius
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To: thegreatbeast
PJ O'Rourke talked about these in his articles from Somalia; "Fixers" or what he called "Combat Accountants."

I don't know if it's always normal for them to be armed when they're out with them on a story, though.
31 posted on 04/13/2003 10:33:48 AM PDT by John H K
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To: thegreatbeast
I'll accept your first contention, but I won't accept CNN's failure to report torture and murder in the midst of a supposedly informed debate about whether to go to war. Their failure enabled The Left to contend that it was only right-wing talk shows that couldn't be trusted who were relaying what was leaking out of Iraq about its horrors.

This is no different from the NY Times stooge who covered for Stalin in the 1930s while he was killing and starving millions. Or was that also "well-reported SOP"?

And the "SOP" continues. I believe CNN has compromised itself in return for access with the Palestinians and with Cuba. CNN will never tell you about the PLO hanging anyone who speaks to an Israeli soldier as a "collaborator," and probably hasn't said a word about the recent Cuban crackdown.

CNN--the Compromised (and Cowardly) News Network.
32 posted on 04/13/2003 10:37:24 AM PDT by litany_of_lies
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To: Polybius
Re: In response, a convoy of 24 armed CNN "technicals" mounted a "Thunder Roll" operation against the RSF inflicting heavy casualties and capturing over a dozen RSF prisoners.

ROFL !

33 posted on 04/13/2003 10:38:01 AM PDT by ChadGore (HEY CNN: No Blood for ratings)
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To: kattracks
If the Passover Story Were Reported by The New York Times, CNN or the LA Times HERE
34 posted on 04/13/2003 11:00:24 AM PDT by Davis
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To: kattracks
"Armed Guard". I thought only celebs traveled that way in the US. They want to feel immmmpppppportttttant.
35 posted on 04/13/2003 11:04:35 AM PDT by freekitty
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To: kattracks
Reporters sans intelligence

We do not care if Saddam abuses journalists, but if CNN defends itself, that is the crime.

36 posted on 04/13/2003 11:09:23 AM PDT by xm177e2 (Stalinists, Maoists, Ba'athists, Pacifists: Why are they always on the same side?)
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To: minmospop
"Creative News Network" . . lol . .
CNN blow-dryed poodle: "Hello Mr. Mubari, I'm from CNN and we're going to film you killing Americans"

Mr. Mubari: "Cool"

CNN blow-dryed poodle: "When the Americans come down the road, we'll be on that rooftop, but wait untill sunset so we can back light your boys."

Mr. Mubari: "backlight?"

CNN blow-dryed poodle: "Just don't set off the anti- tank in the center square untill we get the high speed camera set up, it does 1000 frames a second, but only films for a few seconds, so wait for our signal, ok?"

Mr. Mubari: "CNN uh Akbar!"

37 posted on 04/13/2003 11:19:08 AM PDT by ChadGore (HEY CNN: No Blood for ratings)
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To: Drango
NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS


Classic! My new anti-media mantra.
38 posted on 04/13/2003 6:00:40 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (Love, peace, and harmony: Very nice, very nice, very nice...but maybe in the next world.)
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To: John H K
I don't know if it's always normal for them to be armed when they're out with them on a story, though.

Maybe CNN will take to arming thier journalists when they cover riots in America or enter into poorer/high crime neighborhoods. I wonder if their audience will be upset when they start shooting at American civilians and don't stick around to talk to the authorities.

39 posted on 04/14/2003 9:38:02 AM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS: CNN let human beings be tortured and killed to keep their Baghdad bureau open)
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