The Cost of Coverage

As I searched for articles pertaining to embedding this week I had a few things on my mind. In doing some research through my Egyptian newspaper the Al-Ahram I found some articles about embedding that focused my attention on an aspect of embedding that we've previously talked about; the issue of information control. Although Jill McGivering's talk shed a lot of light on the issues of embedding, I wanted to explore the issue from the other side, the government's.

From reading the Al-Ahram on a regular basis I have come to understand that much of its reporting, especially on sensitive subjects such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, is admittedly biased, and from a Western perspective it is at times shocking. But that is not to say that all of their reporting should be discredited. There are shocking facts on both sides of every conflict and I am inclined to believe that the reporting of the Al-Ahram is still dutiful and that many of their facts about the conflict that could be easily proven are true.

The article I found entitled “Covering Gaza” reports that in Israel's struggle in Gaza they are following suit with the Americans in Iraq and requiring all reporters covering the conflict to embed with the military. This works to control the flow of information in two ways; they keep unaccredited and freelance journalists out of the area while they can apply pressure and restrictions on those let in. To get in to Gaza a reporter must obtain a press card from the Government Press Office. To be eligible for a card an applicant must have accreditation with “a recognised media organisation”, these are traditionally very large Western/sympathetic mainstream news outlets, and if a news organization has had a history of being critical of Israel in the past, they could easily be denied any access to the action. Reporters that do receive a GPO card must sign an agreement stating any reports dealing with defense and security will be turned over to Israel's military censor.

When the facts are laid bare these are shocking blockades to press freedom, but I don't Israel's embedding process all that different from any other, including our own. The government controls who is allowed to embed, where they are embedded, what they can see, who they can talk to, what they can do, and even in some instances, what they are allowed to report. With all of these safeguards, it is very reasonable to believe that the government has the ability to shape and emphasize any story they like, while at the same time repressing anything they don't.

Compounding this issue is the question of the psychological effects of embedding on a reporter. It is reasonable to believe that embedding with a troop of soldiers that is fighting for your freedom and constantly protecting your very life would, over time, change your opinion of them. It would be very hard to come out of that situation without a deep-seated sense of respect for those men you had shared so much with. This experience could very well affect your writing and possibly bias you towards putting their actions in a favorable light.

Although there are many positive aspects to embedding journalists, the possible downsides are hard to ignore. Despite the fact that we have one of the freest presses in the world, this loophole has potentially made us just as susceptible to censorship as anyone else.