Embedded Journal: "I went over to the dark side."

Poynter Online ^ | April 13, 2003 | Jules Crittenden (Boston Herald)

[habs4ever]

fyi

[KC Burke]

Rather than an invention, it was a re-examination of what went wrong with the military/journalist relationship that was so straightforward in WWII. Remeber that Ernie Pyle and his cohorts were "embedded" at that time.

Even with embedding, there is still the urge to "sell" your story, to sensationalize it. If you are a writer, your writing is always subject to that consideration, reporter or not.

[nana4bush]

This was an excellent article. You could almost feel, smell, sense what he was going through. I thought it was better than many of the on camera video reports.

[cake_crumb]

"Some in our profession might think as a reporter and non-combatant, I was there only to observe. Now that I have assisted in the deaths of three human beings in the war I was sent to cover, I’m sure there are some people who will question my ethics, my objectivity, etc. I’ll keep the argument short. Screw them, they weren’t there. But they are welcome to join me next time if they care to test their professionalism."

This paragraph deserves to go down in history as the definition of the war on terrorism from a eye-witness, journalistic point of view.

[malia]

Jules Crittenden (Boston Herald)

A professional for sure - looking forward to reading his past and future articles.

[FreedomPoster]

Index bump. Nam vet in the office, who had also spent some time in the Middle East back when, told us the guys over there would be scrounging "Sumers" the local smokes, and that they were nasty. I've heard them mentioned by name in other accounts, and they seem to be mentioned by quality here. ;-)

Great reporting.

[NoCalEyes]

BUMP

[meema]

bump

[agrace]

I stripped out of my filthy clothes, got out my dirty bar of soap, climbed in the tub, and turned the faucet.

Who climbs in before turning on the water and getting it hot? I am sorry he missed his shower though. :) Good article.

[auggy]

LOL! You double-posted too.

[auggy]

LOL! You double-posted too.

[auggy]

LOL! You double-posted too.

[knak]

Bumming tootpaste to brush with your finger and bumming charges gets old real quick.

I don't even want to think about that!

[Defiant]

I posted the below here on Feb. 28. This article is an example of the "breathless accounts" that the military was looking to generate--
-------------------------------------

I've been a little bummed about the notion of 500 or so combat journalists, most of whom are undoubtedly young, liberal products of our nation's universities, and therefore out for a big story that makes them look good by criticizing the military, accompanying our troops into Iraq. In WW2 battlefield press was ok, because they were on our side. Now, they proclaim themselves to be neutral, while sometimes rooting for the other side.

I thought the Gulf War, in which the press was kept off the battlefield for the most part, was conducted correctly. Letting the press tag along behind, and accept the surrenders of Saddam's "elite" troops seemed the right way to do things.

The Pentagon surely remembers the lessons of Vietnam, and why they kept the press off the front lines last time. Therefore, I have been wondering why they would let these people interfere with their operations. I think I've figured it out though--

We want to scare the piss out of the world.

We want breathless accounts of the ease, horror and deadly efficiency with which we wage this war. We want live interviews with just-captured Iraqi soldiers describing their shock. We want it to be seen in Riyadh and Tehran and Beijing. That's what those 500 people are for.

Rumsfeld is damn shrewd.

[jjm2111]

All your skiers are belong to us! I've never heard of a snowboarder becoming a skier.

[Capt. Jake]

"Screw them, they weren’t there."

Eric Cartman is an embedded reporter?

[sneakers]

bump for later

[kcvl]

http://www.bostonherald.com/galleries/jules/stories/jules20030414.html

[kcvl]

http://www.bostonherald.com/galleries/jules/jules.html

[Tribune7]

Good article.