In an excellent blog post by fellow Milblogger the Mudville Gazette discussing the targeting of journalists by the military, Mrs. Greyhawk has a very informative interview with Jules Crittenden. It should be noted that Jules has been doing an outstanding job fighting the conventional wisdom (in the foreign media, at least) about the so-called targeting of journalists.
Mr. Crittenden has also been fighting an uphill battle at Poynter, and most recently had this to add:
I am alarmed that Steve Lovelady, managing editor of CJR Daily, is baffled by the uproar over Eason Jordan’s remarks. If this helps, it is because Jordan reportedly accused American soldiers of purposefully murdering journalists, without citing any evidence, and without his news organization having reported it. While he backtracked and claimed he was misunderstood, apparently CNN found his transgression serious enough to accept his resignation.
I am also alarmed that the editor of a major media watchdog publication’s web spinoff would cite a report titled “Two Murders and a Lie” (Reporters Without Borders, and apparently without standards) to support Jordan, as well as the similarly flawed “Permission to Fire,” (Committee to Protect Journalists) both of which offer selectively reported and distorted views of the Palestine incident that are peppered with inaccuracies and speculation. There is no evidence to support accusations of either murder or lying in the Palestine incident.
By way of disclosure, I was embedded with the tank company that fired on the Palestine, and was within 100 yards of the tank that fired on April 8, 2003. Sgt. Shawn Gibson saw what he thought was an Iraqi forward observer in a tall building. We had been alerted that an Iraqi FO had eyes on our position an hour earlier. The tankers had been in combat for up to 30 hours by the time Gibson fired, and after a particularly heavy pre-dawn counterattack was repelled, continued to be plagued with mortar fire and RPGs — including fire from the east bank of the Tigris and from tall buildings. In a month of combat operations with A Co. 4/64 Armor, I witnessed numerous examples of restraint when the tankers put themselves in danger in order to avoid killing civilians. Any suggestion that American soldiers have purposefully killed journalists in Iraq is repugnant, ignores the facts and reflects a disturbing bias. The failure of a major media watchdog publication’s editor to get this is also disturbing.
In a previous post on Poynter, Crittenden mused:
Eason Jordan can’t be blamed if he thinks the military targets journalists. The military targeting journalists in Iraq myth has a long history, dating back to the Hotel Palestine incident and beyond that to the as-yet unresolved deaths of the ITN crew. The Palestine incident has twice been written up by the Committee to Protect Journalists (“Permission to Fire”) and Reporters Without Borders (“Two Murders and a Lie”) in biased and sloppy reports that fuel this myth. So we have to give Jordan a break. He’s only a TV guy, after all, and while he may be have become a little uncontrollably exuberant about it, he was only reflecting a view that has been given respectability by deeply concerned professional organizations that have been eagerly seeking out evidence of the US military purposefully targeting journalists, and when they can’t find it, suggesting it must be what happened anyway.
While I disagree that Jordan can’t be blamed (aren’t top CNN officials to be expected to go beyond popular views and report the truth?), we all owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Crittenden for his dogged insistence that people get the story right and that the record be set straight. Email him and tell him thanks, and email his boss and tell them that you appreciate the honesty from at leats one of their reporters.
*** Update ***
I had a brief correspondence with Mr. Crittenden via email, and I have learned that the second quote in the post (“Eason Jordan can’t be blamed…”) was intended as sarcasm, and a misinterpretation on my part. In other words- we agree. Mr. Jordan should know better.
Alas, you can understand how I made the mistake. I am but one of the salivating morons.
Bob
It seems I recall seeing the video of an American tank targeting and blowing away parts of the hotel in Baghdad that was housing most of the press corps at the beginning of the occupation. That’s not what we’re talking about here, is it? We’re talking about the targeting of other reporters some place else at another time, right?
Ernst Blofeld
that’s exactly the incident described. The Palestine Hotel, was, by the way, in the Marine area of operations across the river from where the Army was operating. The army units on the West bank didn’t have maps for the other side, but found themselves under fire from there and did the best they could in the situation.
a
Bob, Crittenden was there. Read his account.
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/002187.html
When the facts don’t agree with your preconceptions, it’s not sensible to invent more congenial facts.
S.W. Anderson
Eason Jordan foolishly made statements for which he had no proof. He evidently realized he was in the wrong and in trouble right after making those statements.
Jordan has since renounced the idea U.S. troops deliberately target journalists and has apologized for having said things he realizes are hurtful and insulting.
People say dumb things. It’s wrong, but it happens. People who do that should own up and apoligize, which he has done.
What rankles me is all the really vicious piling on despite the fact Jordan acknowledged he was out of line.
Look at Hewitt’s blog, where he brags they’re going to run Jordan to ground. The right-wing bloggers’ goal here wasn’t to set the record straight, elicit an apology and put Jordan in his place. It became a vendetta to get Jordan, to destroy his career, to damage his network’s reputation and business. It became a power trip.
Beware, folks. These people are the new McCarthys. They lust for power and they’ve tasted blood. They represent a far greater threat than any news executive who runs off at the mouth with nonsense.
Robin Roberts
Anderson, actually you misrepresent Jordan’s response – he hardly acknowledged “being out of line”, instead CNN’s flacks spammed us all with a version of events contradicted by every other witness.
And you misrepresent goals and the actions of the bloggers you attack. The demands have long been for Jordan and CNN to bring Jordan’s comments in the light of day and properly explain them.
To date, WEF and CNN have stonewalled access to the tape of the event. Evidently, the reality of the record is worse than the speculation. It was Jordan, CNN and WEF that prevented the record from being set straight. Not bloggers.
Ken Hahn
Can a reporter report the truth? It’s tempting to try but almost always leads to journalism that is more advocacy than reporting. It is possible to report the facts. It isn’t easy, facts are often dull and don’t always tell the full story. It’s hard work to make facts appealling.
The attempt to report “truth” gives every story a tilt. It leans with the reporter’s bias. And the editor’s. And so on.
Rather thought he was reporting the truth. Jordan may have also. But they modified or ignored the facts to show the “truth”.
Neither should have been fired for doing what evey journalist in the world does every day. Both should have been for covering up the distortion.
S.W. Anderson
Who owns the tape? Do you know for sure CNN or the economic forum own it? I’m not suggesting one or the other doesn’t, just asking.
Since the man has acknowledged he said the wrong thing and resigned, what purpose does making the tape public serve?
Would that be to set the record straight or to energize a few rounds of chest-thumping and hurrahs? This, especially since the man is not a government official, not a politician, not even a reporter or commentator.
One last thing. Whatever you may think of Jordan, I don’t see Gergen wanting to withhold anything, or in any way benefiting from covering up a discussion at a forum he moderated.
That makes me wonder if the tape might belong to someone who attended the event, rather than the forum organizers or CNN.
Robin Roberts
Anderson, if you are now giving Jordan credit for acknowledging that he said the wrong thing and resigning ( even though he hasn’t so acknowledge … ) then I guess we are not “new McCarthy’s”.
By the way, your speculations do not match what others have already specifically reported. As the WEF themselves acknowledged possessing videotape, first stating that they would copy and release it, and later reneging.