EMBEDDED MEDIA: A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

In the 60's, my family and I were sitting at the dinner table when a news reporter broadcasted tape of a suspected Viet Cong operative being executed in the street by Nguyen Ngoc Loan, South Vietnam’s national police chief.

The image we saw that night, concluded showing the local chief of police executing a suspected Viet Cong captain in the head. At the time, showing an image of this type was unheard of; its impact forever changed our perspective of the war. If I recall correctly, the photo also went on to win a Pulitzer.

At that time, the only way for those on the home front to receive any news about the war was from our local radio and television stations, or local newspapers. In my city, it was the Long Beach Independent Press Telegram. Since it was the late 1960’s, in Long Beach California, that narrowed down to three television stations and a smattering of local AM/FM affiliates. The benefit of limiting the number of stations that could broadcast such images was that the military and government could (to some extent) control what the public saw and heard. Yes, there were reporters out in the field in Vietnam, but were usually assigned to a pool and not embedded directly with the troops, especially those on patrol or ambush missions.

With the availability of global personal communications technology including the Internet, bloggs, cell phone, etc., and the continued practice of embedding the media within individual units, the ability of anyone and everyone to publish their views or impressions on current or future conflicts, will be an issue military authorities will need to address openly; since clamping down on a technology that is so wide spread will be as effective as Pandora slamming the lid closed after the demons have already escaped.

While the "War on Terror" and the debate about its constitutionality continue, concerns about the system of American democracy and its morality are at the center of our national life. As the link between the government and the American public, the media are responsible for informing American citizens about Federal policies and practices, and the government's actions and inactions.

In this time of war, what role should the media play? Is there a conflict between legality, ethics, national security and defense? And what exactly does having freedom of the press really mean? (full story)