Jackie Spinner at the Washington Post hosted a live-chat Q&A on the war in Iraq and journalists' efforts to cover the action. Spinner joined the chatroom live from an Army outpost near Fallujah, and the very first question asked about the benefits of embedding reporters within military units as opposed to freelancing in a war zone:

Q - Is it preferrable to report from an embedded military unit, or do you prefer to roam about the city without their protection? I presume the quality of reporting is better if you aren't chained to a branch of the military, but it certainly seems much more dangerous to move about Iraq without their security. ...

A - Unfortunately, it is impossible to roam about the city without protection. The only way we can cover this offensive for now is with the military. I should note that the insurgents offered embed spots to us as well. Only a French photographer took them up on it. He was detained by US forces yesterday as he fled his embed.

Not for the first time, I presume the Ba'athist remnants and Islamist terrorists may be regretting their strategy of bribing the French to put up a facade of legitimacy for them. Last year, a French journalist made waves by embedding himself with "insurgents" and photographing them while they shot and fired missiles at American soldiers. It seems the French get a lot less courageous when someone fires back ... but then, we learned that decades ago.

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Evidently French photographers can act like they are French Military once in a while. From Captain's Quarters:Q - Is it preferrable to report from an embedded military unit, or do you prefer to roam about the city without their protection? I presume ... [Read More]

Tracked on November 11, 2004 1:41 PM