Journalism and Iraq

A journalist’s role in Iraq is to report stories so as to bring the war back to the American people — just like a beat in any American city, this includes breaking news, enterprise pieces and even features.

It is even more important for reporters in Iraq to perform these duties, because the realities of the war are nearly impossible for regular citizens to see themselves. While it’s possible for someone to go witness a trial or sporting event by themselves, it’s not likely anyone would journey to Baghdad for a first-person view of the insurgency. This places journalists in a high-pressure situation, because they offer the only view of the war (ideally) untouched by the government.
Not only are journalists the country’s eyes and ears in Iraq, but journalists also serve the role as interpreter. At any given moment in Iraq, several important events are taking place, and it’s the job of journalists to put these events into context for its readers, viewers and listeners. In a time when the Bush administration has become increasingly tight-lipped, this is a role that is vital to Americans becoming better informed about the war and, more importantly, the United States’ place in the Middle East.

Another role journalists have in Iraq is that of being patriotic — and not the Olympic “America’s-the-best-place-on-earth” kind — but rather, showing courage to continue in the democratic process of finding and reporting the story. A free and active press is integral to Democracy, and seeing the product of important, life-threatening work by journalists can be encouraging to a public that is generally uninformed on world issues. Journalists must also relieve panic from the front by placing the risks talked about at home (which often come from politicos with agendas) into context. This is especially useful, since most of what people hear outside of the media is from politicians with a vested interest in the war.

Unfortunately, a journalist’s role in Iraq has also come to include being safe. Experiences like that of Jill Carroll’s have become increasingly common. Iraq is a country that has come to be characterized by instability, and many journalists have paid the price for doing their job. Many news organizations have taken on private security guards for their Iraq correspondents, and have taken refuge in “safe” areas of Iraq to eliminate as much of the threat as possible. However, as many precautions have been taken, violence seems to slowly be winning in the battle against journalism.

“The relentless violence in Iraq has seriously compromised coverage of arguably the most important story in the world today,” Sherry Ricchiardi writes in her AJR article, “Obstructed View.” “Certain facets of the conflict remain exasperatingly elusive or, at best, thinly reported. The media’s vital role as eyewitness has been severely limited.” Ricchiardi continues that security concerns have become so great, and so costly, that correspondents are uninformed and in increasing peril. She reports that Iraq has been ranked the most dangerous place for journalists for the fourth consecutive year, and this has meant that journalists can’t travel to places on their own for reporting, greatly hindering the story that is being told back here in the United States.

This increased danger has meant high security costs for news organizations, Ricchiardi writes, which has meant many news organizations don’t hang around. There are fewer correspondents and fewer news organizations in Iraq every day, and with the violence likely to get worse, the future doesn’t look bright.