The Liberators Teach Iraq, Part 1: Freedom of the Press

[Chris Alger]

It could have been worse. They could have been French.

From today's Ha'aretz:

U.S. troops in Iraq detained two Israeli journalists and Portuguese colleague on suspicion of espionage and beat one of them, relatives said Friday. They were released after 48 hours.

The journalists, Dan Scemama, of Channel One Television and Boaz Bismuth of the Yedioth Aharonoth entered Iraq without proper accreditation. Scemama said earlier in the week that he had been denied accreditation because he represented Israeli television.

The two teamed up with the Portuguese TV reporter, rented a jeep, and entered Iraq on their own, driving alongside American convoys. They phoned in reports based on conversations with U.S. troops and Iraqis.

Speaking to Channel One news from Kuwait, Dan Scemama said Friday that the Americans treated them as spies and terrorists for the 48 hours of their detention. "We were humiliated for many hours. They did not let is eat and they took all the means of communication we had on our persons."

Scemama's girlfriend, Shlomit Yarkoni, said the journalists were forced to stop Tuesday, beside six tanks, because of sandstorms. "They couldn't see the road... [and] the Americans advised them not to move because they would not be identified in the dust and... [troops had] orders to shoot at almost anything that moves."

Early Wednesday, soldiers woke them up at gunpoint, and accused them of espionage. The reporters were told to pick up their shirts and let down their pants to prove they were not carrying bombs.

Scemama's sister, Dina Harel, told UPI they were told to drop to the sand, face down. They were later kept in a closed jeep for 36 hours.

The Portuguese journalist asked to phone home and was beaten, the two said. His ribs were broken and he is now hospitalized.

Yedioth Aharonoth, concerned about loss of contact with the journalists, had asked the Pentagon to help find them.

After 48 hours, a helicopter flew the reporters to an American military base in Kuwait, where they were released and given their phones back. Their rented jeep was impounded, Harel said.

But also in Kuwait, "they treated us as suspects," Scemama said. "We were in the hands of soldiers who were only concerned with keeping us from speaking to each other."

He added that he had received the impression that the American army had done everything it could to ensure that not one independent journalist was reporting from Iraq.

[Jimbo]

You certainly are desperate to dig up this puny ammunition to demonstrate suppression of freedom of the press Chris. It must have been all the more difficult considering the reporters were from Israel. Couldn't you find a lot more material outlining the Iraqi government's actions in this regard? I really liked the last statement:

"He added that he had received the impression that the American army had done everything it could to ensure that not one independent journalist was reporting from Iraq.

If I did not know better I would say that was added by you. I do know better, right???

[HDPM]

So these guys go into a war zone with no credentials and start following Americans around and also talk to Iraqis and wonder why people treat them as spies? I am only concerned that our troops spoke to them and let them hang around as long as they did. I think it highlights the fact that our army is catering to journalists too much. And these particular journalists are idiots. Total Darwin Award potential. Maybe beating them crossed the line, but they all should have been dope slapped and sent packing. They should be detained and their identities verified with full background checks done to detect any connection to intelligence agencies. If they were in fact reporters, their media outlets should bear the cost of their detention and helicopter transport out. Not that folks who don't bother with credentials but do make sure to have means of communication in a war zone could be spies or pose a danger to soldiers or anything.

[Chris Alger]

Read the link for yourself:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&oi=ne...tml&e=2436

I wouldn't be interested in adding to the volume of information about the bad acts of the Iraqi government because they're already well-known. Few people, however, realize that US troops are capable of beating journalists in order to stifle press freedom.

[Chris Alger]

The article didn't say they had "no credentials," but that they were denied "proper accredation," probably by Kuwait, only because they were Israeli. Being confined for two days and expelled from the country for lack of credentials doesn't ring true, especially since their identities and employers could have been confirmed in less than an hour with a phone call and a fax. It seems more likely that the army didn't like what these guys were reporting.

[Cyrus]

Those idiots don't wanna be liberated !

[Jimbo]

Thanks for providing the link Chris. After reading the article in full context I find 90% hearsay from "relatives" and a girlfriend. Below is the substance of the article:

"We were humiliated for many hours. They did not let is eat and they took all the means of communication we had on our persons." and this "they treated us as suspects," and this "We were in the hands of soldiers who were only concerned with keeping us from speaking to each other."

The rest of the article seems a bit suspect and was creative journalism at best.

[Mark Heide]

Chris,

Very entertaining article. Here's an article that you may find entertaining: [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=2458517

I'm only presenting this for entertainment value.

Mark

[Billy LTL]

He added that he had received the impression that the American army had done everything it could to ensure that not one independent journalist was reporting from Iraq.

Sorry but that statement is complete crap. Without going into a lot of detail there are many, many journalists in Iraq who are NOT embedded with the U.S. or British military. Same deal, their organisations hire a (usually) armoured suv, a top driver/minder - often Iraqi, and off they go, hopefully to hunt down some stories the embedded journos can't get access to.

From what I'm hearing the treatment they receive at the hands of the military varies when they run into them. Some unit commanders are very hositile, like "Get the eff out of here now" while others let them tag along with the convoy. Understandably in a war no officer wants unknown elements added to his responsibilty.

As for the censorship issue, why would the U.S. military be concerned with it when they are allowing embedded journos to file pictures like this? Just use common sense.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...170/3np0t.html

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...170/3nozj.html

And here's a story about covering the war as a unlateral (ie not embedded with the military) journalist. Check out the picture half way down. There's quite a few unilaterals out there.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/890712.asp?0cb=-h1l143917 Check out the picture of all the unilaterals halfway down the page. There's more than just a few.

Billy

[Cyrus]

"As for the censorship issue, why would the U.S. military be concerned with it when they are allowing embedded journos to file pictures like this?"

The U.S. military controls what the embedded journalists report. On occasion, the military may be allowing out some pictures or stories that do not seem to serve its side's arguments ; this may be done either on purpose or through carelessness. The point, though, is that an embedded journalist has placed his safety and his reporting (and, thus, his integrity) in the hands of the military unit he is in bed with. If the journalist wants to stay embedded, he must report things "right".

The U.S. military would obviously prefer that all journalists are in bed with it in one unit or another.