More journalists killed in Iraq than Vietnam http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28219813.htm PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - More journalists have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 than during the 20 years of conflict in Vietnam, media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Sunday. Since U.S. forces and its allies launched their campaign in Iraq on March 20, 2003, 66 journalists and their assistants have been killed, RSF said. The latest casualty was a Reuters Television soundman who was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday while a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers. The death toll in Iraq compares with a total of 63 journalists in Vietnam, but which was over a period of 20 years from 1955 to 1975, the Paris-based organisation that campaigns to protect journalists said on its Web site. During the fighting in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995, 49 journalists were killed doing their job, while 57 journalists and 20 media assistants were killed during a civil war in Algeria from 1993 to 1996. RSF listed Iraq as the world's most dangerous place for journalists. In addition to those killed, 22 have been kidnapped. All but one was released. Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was executed by his captors. The media was targeted from the first days of the fighting, when cameraman Paul Moran, of the Australian TV network ABC, was killed by a car bomb on March 22, 2003, it added. Two other journalists have been missing since March 2003 and August 2004.
This doesn't surprise me at all. With the advent of "embedded" journalists, you will see far more casualties among them than we ever saw in any other war.
Another point is that there are probably many, many more journalists in Iraq than were in the other areans mentioned. It seems the story should have included percentages.
Bobrek was right on. There are far more journalists in Iraq than we have ever had in any other war and they are also "embedded," meaning they are coming closer to the front lines and fighting than in any other war. In Vietnam, there were a few journalists that traveled to the front lines, but at least in the beginning of the Iraq war, there were journalists traveling with most of the units. More journalists in Iraq = More journalists killed in Iraq.
The problem here is a bunch of young, ambitious journalists risking their lives in an attempt to win a Pullitzer. They don't realize how hazardous the situation is in Iraq until they are actually out there.
Don't forget the nature of this war. More of a free-for-all terrorist type battle, then your traditional territorial fighting. There is no 'behind the lines' safety zones. And hard to defend against a suicide bomber. Still a sobering stat.
Fair and reasonable responses from bobrek, andymoon, bnb, and Baqui99 etc. But I still would like to see some stats (if there is one) on # of journalists reporting in these recent wars before I conclude that piece of Reuters news is misguided.
I don't think the piece is misguided. It merely relates stats. How you interpret them is up to you. As with all stats...they should be taken in context. I can see where a journalism organization would be concerned. Not sure if they intended to imply the increase was due to less protection from 'our side' or less respect from 'the other' side, or whether they were simply pointing out a sad trend. Perhaps JV hit it on the head. Maybe it's not much more than an interesting bit of trivia.
Hope i didnt come across as insensitive. Wasn't my intent. What did you take from the original article?
If the brutality of the War were a fun and acceptible topic in Hangout, I'd ask mod to move it there.
Gosh, I just realized I took you and bobrek as the same person. I think it (the article) has an agenda, I am not in a position to say one way or another though.
So, what is the big deal? You post articles and don't say anything as to why you think they are significant enough to bring to our attention. From what I can see, this is an interesting but not even surprising factoid. I'd just like for you to articulate why you think we should care.
