Confusion over status of Geraldo Rivera in Iraq

Reuters | 3/31/03 | Charles Aldinger

[truthandlife]

I agree. He did clearly outline the war plan in the sand and it was done very well but he could have been giving out too much information.

[LittleJoe]

FOX gave Geraldo the chance to be respected as a real journalist. Geraldo blew it.

Case closed.

[HairOfTheDog]

[LandOfTheFreeHomeOfTheBrave]

Two observations: (1) The book "The Hunt for Bin Laden-Task Force Dagger" says that Rivera really pissed off SF in Afghanistan and (2) I've seen plenty of "embeds" drawing maps in the sand. For awhile it was as ubiquitous as "let's go to the screenwriter." I didn't hear or see the report in question, buy maybe the military is taking advantage of a reason to tell him to get lost.

[mwl1]

Reuters, CNN, MSNBC don't care if the Geraldo story is true or not. They are just trying to obliterate the Benedict Arnett story and apparently, succesfully. Scheming liars.

[dep]

The Associated Press
Monday, March 31, 2003; 2:37 PM

Geraldo Rivera is denying reports that he's been kicked out of Iraq by U.S. military officials for giving out too much information about troop locations.

Meanwhile NBC fired journalist Peter Arnett on Monday, saying it was wrong for him to give an interview with state-run Iraqi TV in which he said the American-led coalition's initial plan for the war had failed because of Iraq's resistance.

Reporting on the Fox News Channel, Rivera said he's actually further inside Iraq than he'd been before.

He was standing alongside U.S. troops in a building he identified as Iraq's ruling party headquarters in a city south of Baghdad.

Rivera said it sounds like the rumors that he'd been kicked out were spread by people he described as "rats" at NBC, where he used to work.

He said his rivals "can't compete fair and square on the battlefield" - so they try to stab him in the back.

But in the end, he insists, "quality journalism wins out."

Rivera said he has a "great relationship" with the troops in the 101st Airborne - and that he plans to "march into Baghdad alongside them."

Sources at U.S. Central Command have said that Rivera was asked to leave because he revealed tactical information.

Arnett, on NBC's "Today" show on Monday, said he was sorry for his statement but added "I said over the weekend what we all know about the war."

"I want to apologize to the American people for clearly making a misjudgment," the New Zealand-born Arnett said. He said he would try to leave Baghdad now, joking "there's a small island in the South Pacific that I've inhabited that I'll try to swim to."

© 2003 The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60058-2003Mar31.html

[michaelt]

If Rummy and Bush and only listened to the smart retired military like Wesley "Hack" McCaffery, Geraldo would have never been in Iraq. But they just do what their oil masters tell them to do.

[dep]

geraldo has been known to freelance these things, also to just flat-out make stuff up. remember the hallowed ground?

dep

[LittleJoe]

You cannot compare Geraldo Rivero to Peter Arnett

Why not? Last night Geraldo tried to make excuses for Arnett and voiced his support of Peter Arnett and Scott Ritter.

Geraldo is an entertainer. He is just playing to the audience with his pat on the back patriotism with our troops. It's fame and glory he's after. That he could cause harm to our guys with his grandstanding means nothing to him.

I say get him off the battlefield and let the real embeds do their job.

[KevinB]

Where's Whoraldo? LOL! Wonderful post!

[ArneFufkin]

LOL. That puzzle is best left unsolved.

[razorbak]

I have heard many reports from a variety of new sources that in my opinion gave too much info to the Iraqis. I did not notice Geraldo being any worse. Our own military people seem to have awfully loose lips themselves. Maybe its all part of a disinformation strategy.

[Orangedog]

I watched him - in this morning's early AM - draw a detailed map of operations in the sand. He clearly explained how our forces are driving forward toward Baghdad.

I litterally choked on my coffee this morning when he started drawing the map in the sand. It's not every day that I start off the morning yelling expletives at the tv. I don't think that he meant to do any harm, but at best this was a SERIOUS f***-up on his part. I'm surprised that no one back in New York pulled the plug on him as he was drawing out the map. If I were running the control room, he would have gone to a test patternas soon as he picked up the stick.

[browardchad]

i think there was probably a deal cut to let him retreat with honor as opposed to being flat-out bounced.

This may be the crux of the problem:

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

I was wondering about Whoraldo's status, thinking it odd that they put him in Afghanistan instead of Iraq when the war began. This confirms the fact that he's not embedded. Did the military do Fox a favor by letting him hook up with the troops? Did they decide after last night's broadcast that he's a liability? Can they, technically, throw him out of Iraq if he's not embedded? They can certainly ban him from access to the troops in the field, but I wonder if they can throw him out of the country? Is the media trying to get him thrown out because the military has refused to let other non-embedded media hook up with the troops?

In spite of Whoraldo's "bravado" I doubt he'd stay in Iraq without the protection of the military.

[GreyWolf]

Of course, if you happen to be a retired (anything over O-1) you can draw all the maps you want. But there is a difference. They draw their maps using sheer speculation. Geroldo's map was using real (and classified) information revealed in a military briefing. Back when the late Les Aspin was SecDef he used to walk right out of classified briefings and leak it to the press 10 feet outside the briefing room. I guess it boils down to who you are.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Odd, he was on around 9:30 or so, claiming this was all a lie and he's not going anywhere. Does he even know??

[Uncle Hal]

Actually his reporting from Afgahnistan and now Iraq has not been that bad. We saw his report this weekend where he drew in the sand. I did not realize he was giving up classified data. When ever he starts show boating I immediately change the channel. He is a character and at times a loose cannon. I thought maybe he had calmned down. I guess not.

[GOPrincess]

The "Hallowed Ground" story got by me when it happened -- thanks for the link. Interesting.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

I'd like to know, also. I saw his 'line in the sand' reports, he wasn't saying anything the generals with the cutesy graphics were saying back in the studio.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

I should say, he wasn't telling us any more than what the generals in the studio were, as far as I know.