[konaice]

The big story NOT mentioned here is that CNN's Brent Sadler proceeded on live TV to make an armed reconnocense of Tikrit in which (if you listen to your VHS tapes carefully) Sadler CLEARLY states that his security (hired gunsel) opened up with an AK-47 on some Iraqis that "looked threatening".

Then, 5 or 8 minutes later. AFTER they fired on these Iraqi people, Sadler (who was driving) ran a road block and was fired on. (What did he expect?).

The key point is CNN Fired first!

Further, the Marines were only an hour behind them, so any captivity CNN might have suffered would have been short lived at worst.

So in the chase for a scoop to save its' failing rateings, CNN engages in combat ahead of the front line.

As far as I know Iraq never hurt any news media (although several were hurt by U.S. fire), and yet CNN finds it necessary go hire armed thugs and shoot their way into and out of Tikrit.

[backhoe]

So in the chase for a scoop to save its' failing rateings, CNN engages in combat ahead of the front line.

I actually hadn't thought of it that way- thanks for your perspective.

[GeorgiaYankee]

So in the chase for a scoop to save its' failing rateings, CNN engages in combat ahead of the front line.

As far as I know Iraq never hurt any news media (although several were hurt by U.S. fire), and yet CNN finds it necessary go hire armed thugs and shoot their way into and out of Tikrit. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I watched that live and noticed that they never mentioned that they ran the checkpoint in their taped repeats of that report. I also checked their website article on the incident and it never mentioned it either.