Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

1-23-91 . . . Meanwhile, the war—the bombing of Iraqi targets—continues. Journalists are complaining that they are being “pooled” by the military. This means the military controls their movements. Each day they are taken to a particular place and allowed to make photographs and conduct interviews. To the military, this is sufficient to give journalists—and ultimately the American people—a feel for what is happening; but to the journalists, it is paternalistic, condescending, and unacceptable. My feeling is that if journalists want to get “the whole story”, they should be allowed to roam at will in the battlefield. But it should be made clear to them that if they are endangered, coalition forces will not risk life or limb to save them. In other words, if you want to get the whole story, be prepared to take chances, pay expenses, and suffer the consequences. Any war correspondent worth his or her salt should expect no more.