Being a War-Time Journalist
With everything we have discussed regarding the war throughout our blogging experience, I think this article I found on MSNBC.com is interesting. It reported that more than 500 journalists have been killed in war zones in the last 10 years. 86 of these deaths have been in Iraq since March 2003. It was also mentioned that the drivers and translators, mostly local Iraqis, have died as well. These Iraqis also risked their lives to help the journalists from the Western world, just so they can write and report the stories.One journalist named Steven Vincent lost his life. His wife Lisa Ramaci-Vincent started a foundation, Reporters Without Borders, to assist families of freelance war reporters who are killed while on the job. The foundation helps anyone who has worked with the reporter from Third World countries. Many have no death benefits and have relied on the family member to support them.
I liked Lisa’s comment stating that “Americans don’t have a positive image in the world. They are seen as big bullies. It helps when America shows it owes a debt to other nations. Every day you buy a copy of the newspaper, you don’t understand how these journalists got their amazing stories and who put their lives on the line to help them.” I think many times we criticize reporters and what’s on the news. We question how truthful the story may be, what facts we are being told, and if the story is accurate. In this situation we are reminded how these reporters are putting their lives on the line so in 2006, we can have up to date information and know what’s happening immediately in the world.
Lisa also shared that journalism has changed because reporters in the past were respected like a Red Cross worker. If they were not a soldier, there was never an excuse to ever harm them. Today, she says everyone is a target and everyone can be shot and killed at anytime.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15841115/site/newsweek
posted by Betty @ 12/14/2006 05:04:00 PM
3 Comments:
I agree. I definately think that times have changed dramatically. With this change comes death, even if those people are innocent. I also agree that we as citizens do forget about the hard and dangerous work done by these reporters. I believe that it is more fair if we think about what bullets these reporters dodged for the stories on the news, before we criticize the actual stories. I think these people are extremely brave, and I know for a fact that I wouldn't put my life on the line each day like they do. These reporters deserve way more respect than they are recieving.
It's a tragedy when innocent people, who are not involved in the war, are killed. But how uninvolved are the reporters of the war? They show the horrors of war across the country through people's television sets. These images are a sort of propaganda tool used to help build support for the war. The images on the TV might cause people to feel empowered to help the fight, thus creating a stronger resistance for the Iraqi soldiers to oppose. This would make the reporters enemies of the Iraqis. Therefore, it would seem like the reporters are "fair game" to be shot at. This is NOT however what I think should be the case. This is just how I think our enemies perceive it. Reporters should not be shot at, and it's devastating when ANYONE is killed in a war. But that is the point of war, and people will die, innocent or otherwise. It’s good how people like Lisa Ramaci-Vincent start foundations to help with this increasing dilemma of innocent people getting killed. More power to them, and I hope more become as giving as people like her.
It is sad that reporters and journalists are getting killed in their proffesion. But it is also part of the job description, so technically their families and they are agreeing to the unsafety of the job. If they go over to Iraq, they should be able to take the responsibility of that risk that they are taking realizing that they may not return to their families. Reporters and Journalists are very brave in their line of work that's for sure. I know personally that I would not be able to leave my family behind to go somewhere wher I could possibly die. These people should be honored somehow to the public for what they do.
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