Freedom of press?

Just watched a broadcast on journalists not "embedded" (read: controlled) by the coalition. They drive around in cars between Iraq and Kuweit in independent cars, and often stay in the desert to sleep. They are from different countries, the US, Portugal, France, Belgium...

Several teams have been interviewed by a Belgian crew. Not only do these guys risk their lives to try to give some independent information, they get kicked out and brutalized by US marines as well.

One team was taken off all their camera gear and mobile phones with the guns pointed at them. When one journalist asked if he could phone once to the redaction to say they were ok, he got beaten to the ground by several marines.
The whole crew was taken back to Kuwait where they were kept for 48 hours. After which they were free to leave again.

The Belgian crew in the meantime has been given the order to leave Iraq too.

Surely the Pentagon doesn't like non-fitting news (the independent teams were pretty decent by the way, very well balanced, but also quite different information than what we heard out of the Pentagon official lectures the last two weeks).

Now don't reply that it is in the interest of the journalists that they are taken out of a warzone because they travel without protection

Boo hoo, someone hand me a tissue. I'm simply wracked with sobs over the poor treatment (alleged, not proved, maybe we should ask the U.N. to send in inspectors...)of the so-called journalists. The day the world holds itself to the same standards it demands of the United States is the day I'll give a flying f**k about some poor Euroweenie journalists...until then DILLIGAFF?

BTW, did you see the interviews of the journalists arrested by the Iraqis? Their descriptions of the screams and beatings they heard while in jail were most enlightening...

Dominique,

There is no real-time truth, just agendas full of partial truths and bias.

The actuall truth of events are only revealed well after the events. Weither embedded or not all have a bias. The
REAL truth will can only be deteremined well after the event.

This is true for any historic event, and by law that govern the nature of man, truth can only be determined in hindsite.

I doubt the non-embedded journalist were innocent of terms of conduct of war. It will be interesting to see what is written about this war by the books these embedded journalist will undoubtitly publish afterward. Then the real truth may be pieced together.

I take exception to your media reporting hype Domnique.

Painting a picture that Marines routinely beat innocent persons is sheer crap from the mouth of a-sholes.

At a high visibility checkpoint too....there is no chance of that happening unless there was resistance or failure to follow explict orders given at that time.

Closer to the truth would likely be the newsjerk decided to ignore the order and phone anyway and had to be restrained by force.

If you had ever served in the Corp, you would know we have a STRICT code of Honor. Beatings of non-resistant innocent persons without cause would result in a summary field courtmartial emmediately. What you implied is pure brainwashing gossip designed to discredit the Corp.

Semper Fi, and Fi on you. ); (

So there is clear understanding here....It is God, Country, Corp, in that order and nothing else.

Euh, pretty much not of an excuse to beat up journalists is it?

If journalists cannot operate freely, something tells me someone wants to hide something Besides, journalists have deontology, and I have never seen anything strategically revealed by independent journalist.

I know. See Italy, where Berlusconi not only ownes most of private broadcasting, but also influences official news channels since he leads the country.

Make sure you control all information channels, and you rule...

"Freedom of the press"
Give me a break....WAR DOES NOT CARE ABOUT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.