Confusion over status of Geraldo Rivera in Iraq

Reuters | 3/31/03 | Charles Aldinger

[kattracks]

Confusion over status of Geraldo Rivera in Iraq

By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Veteran reporter and former talk show host Geraldo Rivera, a correspondent for Fox News, was asked to be removed from Iraq by the U.S. military for reporting Western troop movements in the war, the Pentagon said on Monday.

But in a report from Iraq where he was about 60 miles (100 km) from Baghdad with the 101st Airborne Division, Rivera, known for his provocative on-screen style, said all was well and suggested he wasn't being ejected from the country by the U.S. military for coverage of the war.

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman later told Reuters, however, that Fox News itself had agreed to remove Rivera after the military commander where Rivera was reporting felt that he had "compromised operational security."

A Fox spokesman said: "All I can tell you is that he's still reporting from Iraq."

Rivera said in his televised report that he did not know where the reports about the alleged security violations came from but accused colleagues, including former employer NBC, of perhaps "spreading some lies about me." He suggested all was well between him and the military.

"I'm further in the country than I have ever been," Geraldo said.

"If you were to ask me on whether or not he had reported on things that were of tactical value and compromised operational security, I would have to say yes. In the eyes of the commander on the ground, he did," Whitman told Reuters.

"I would say that he is going to be leaving Iraq," added Whitman. "Fox has talked to us and they have indicated to us that they are going to remove him from the area of operations."

Whitman, who had earlier said the military was ejecting Rivera, later amended that to Fox agreeing to withdraw the correspondent.

Reports from competing media said earlier that Rivera, a former talk show host and veteran correspondent who has also reported the war in Afghanistan and high-profile stories such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, had been accused of violating rules against compromising operational security.

Whitman said Rivera was not officially "embedded," or assigned to the unit by the military, but was covering the troops at the time.

03/31/03 13:32 ET

[cyncooper]

The Pentagon is acting like it removed him.

I seems to me there is confusion *perhaps* because Reuters may have mischaracterized whatever this Pentagon guy said in the first place. And here they are again, the only source saying this. I won't know what the facts are until I hear it directly from the Pentagon myself at this point.

[Neets]

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman later told Reuters, however, that Fox News itself had agreed to remove Rivera after the military commander where Rivera was reporting felt that he had "compromised operational security."

This is the part that confuses me...if the Military commander "felt" this way, why did he allow Rivera to continue reporting from the field???

[Dog Gone]

Assuming this latest version of the story is the accurate one, Geraldo is going to be pretty mad that he was allowed to go on the air and berate the other networks for reporting this.

He may just quit.

[San Jacinto]

Pentagon now reports that it will accept no solution short of Geraldo actually leaving the country.

[Mr. Mojo]

And Reuters now does the ole backpedal.

[smokeyb]

I just saw Geraldo 15 minutes ago.

[fight_truth_decay]

As I stated on the ongoing still active thread this morning: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/880671/posts


Rotor Reuter this story.

[GOPrincess]

That is what's confusing me. Would Fox have let Rivera go on the air and say the story isn't true, just a rumor and he's moving deeper into Iraq, if they knew they'd be yanking him? Was it not decided at that point? If it was up in the air why put him on the air? Etc.

I'm curious how this is going to play out.

[Mamzelle]

Regime change!

[Sacajaweau]

We've been seeing those same maps for days.

[Woahhs]

But I do like the fact that he is gung-ho for our troops.

I have to agree with you. While I think Geraldo may have gone over the line a bit, his sand drawing was the tactical equivalent of a stick figure labeled "mom."

Do I think he actually gave information useful to the Iraqis: no. Do I think he broke the strict opsec: yes.

[jerseygirl]

:) Perfect!

[GOPrincess]

Thanks for the update you saw Geraldo! Must have been on when I took a phone call :).

This whole thing seems quite odd. I was not a Geraldo fan and feel he continues to be kind of "over the top," but I also think he's proven to be a great cheerleader and admirer of the troops. I don't believe he'd intentionally endanger them. He might have been stupid, but not un-American like Arnett. (Also wonder about the possibility the military used him to plant misinformation...)

[Neets]

Source?

[babaloo]

I made the same point on another thread. Why would Fox allow him to make such a statement on the air calling MSNBC names when they knew he was goners? I cannot see them screwing up that much.

[vigilante2]

hmm..maybe they wanted him to do that?

[dep]

This is the part that confuses me...if the Military commander "felt" this way, why did he allow Rivera to continue reporting from the field?

if you saw the report, you might have noticed that he was now with a "civil authority" detachment the purpose of which was to turn on the water and shepherd p.o.w.s to prison camps. front line it wasn't.

dep

[Dog Gone]

All I can tell for sure is that someone has screwed up bigtime. Who that someone is remains to be determined.

[Neets]

So what is all the hullabuloo about then?