SUMMER 2001 $8 M IN THIS ISSUE EDIA MEDIA STUDIES War reporters “find themselves caught up in an environment where rocket- propelled grenades have replaced swords, and cell phones have replaced telexes. S It’s a new world for war correspondents—one in which new rules and new TUDIES technology often clash with past conventions and ideals.” — . OURNAL J J OURNAL RECENT ISSUES OF MEDIA STUDIES JOURNAL The First Amendment, Fall The 45 words of the First Amendment—unchanged since ratification in 1791—give Americans the right to freely express ourselves through speech, faith, petition, assembly and the written word. While the public generally supports these freedoms, its commitment some- times wavers because of concern about violence, racism, children’s exposure to controversial Lines and Deadlines Front content and other issues. The challenge is to apply the First Amendment’s fundamental free- doms when original intent runs headlong into new technology and shifting societal interests. Courage, Spring/Summer > If history is usually written about the winners, stories of courage are usually written about the 12 famous. Yet some of the bravest actions of journalists are unknown—obscured by the passage of time, hidden by veils of anonymity or buried by systematic repression. This issue aims to correct that imbalance by telling the tales of the not so familiar, those who worked on the mar- gins of popularity, who blazed new but solitary paths or who left fleeting legacies. Their lives and their work are a reminder that tests of integrity usually occur far from the spotlight. 73361 64950 08 Campaign 2000, Winter The campaign of 2000 was preceded by other elections when spin, invective, scandal and deficient reporting sometimes seemed to overwhelm the best in American journalism and Front Lines and Deadlines American democracy. In the belief that foresight is better than hindsight, our writers injected informed analysis and suggestions into presidential and congressional races at the start. By perspectives on war reporting understanding where the currents of the time have taken journalism and politics, the news ❖ media will be better able to navigate a desirable course in the future. Harold M. Evans, Tad Bartimus, Edith M. Lederer, Jacqueline E. Sharkey After the Fall, Fall on the long view ❖ George C. Wilson, James Kitfield, Jane Kirtley, The changes that swept Central and Eastern Europe in 1989 passed with relatively little blood- Robert Sims, Peter S. Prichard, Patrick J. Sloyan, Derald Everhart shed, and if history had ended then there would be cause for easy optimism. But in the endur- ❖ ing battles with censors and would-be censors that bedevil emerging democracies, new ques- on the pen and the sword Tom Gjelten, Judy Woodruff on right and wrong tions appear. Not only is there much for journalists to cover, in some places the fate of journal- Timothy J. Kenny, Donatella Lorch, Gary Knight, Susan Moeller on the price paid ism is still an open question. This issue explores not just the epic events of 1989 but the new ❖ stories that emerged in that region in the 1990s. T HE F REEDOM F ORUM MEDIA STUDIES JOURNAL FRONT LINES AND DEADLINES PERSPECTIVES ON WAR REPORTING M EDIA S TUDIES J OURNAL Volume , Number , Summer ❖ The Media Studies Journal is a forum for scholars, journalists and informed commentators to discuss topical themes of enduring importance to the mass media and the public. Vice President/Publications M AURICE R. FLIESS Editorial Director C HRISTY M UMFORD J ERDING Contributing Editor D ON ROSS Copy Editors M ARY A. ANDERSON J EAN PATMAN Designer M EREDITH S. PECK Photo Research C HARLOTTE F ULLERTON K AREN W YATT I NDIRA W ILLIAMS ❖ Copyright © by The Freedom Forum. Editorial Offices: Media Studies Journal, Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA General comments and letters to the editor may also be sent electronically to the Media Studies Journal at [email protected]. The Media Studies Journal ( -) is published by The Freedom Forum. Single copies $ (U.S.), $ (foreign), includes shipping and handling. All orders and change of address information should be sent in writing to Media Studies Journal—Orders, Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA or by e-mail to [email protected]. This publication is indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). COVER PHOTO: Israeli soldiers during riot on West Bank, Sept. , (SHARON ABBADY/BLACK STAR) The Freedom Forum, based in Arlington, Va., is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on four main priorities: the Newseum, First Amendment issues, newsroom diversity and world press freedom. The Freedom Forum funds two independent affiliates — the Newseum, the interactive museum of news in Arlington; and the First Amendment Center, with offices at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and in New York City and Arlington. Other operating offices are in Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London and Cocoa Beach, Fla. The Freedom Forum was established in 1991 under the direction of Founder Allen H. Neuharth as successor to a foundation started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Frank E. Gannett. The Freedom Forum is not affiliated with Gannett Co., does not solicit or accept financial contributions, and does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Its work is sup- ported by income from an endowment now worth about $1 billion in diversified assets. ❖ THE FREEDOM FORUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES C HARLES L. OVERBY Chairman and Chief Executive Officer PETER S. PRICHARD President H ARRY W. B ROOKS M ADELYN P. J ENNINGS M ALCOLM R. KIRSCHENBAUM B ETTE B AO LORD B RIAN M ULRONEY J AN N EUHARTH W ILL N ORTON J R . J OSEFINA A. SALAS-PORRAS J OHN S EIGENTHALER PAUL S IMON M ARK T RAHANT J UDY C. WOODRUFF A LLEN H. NEUHARTH Founder ❖ Contents FRONT LINES AND DEADLINES PERSPECTIVES ON WAR REPORTING Preface [ xi ] THE LONG VIEW The Combat Correspondent H AROLD M. EVANS “In the 21st century, communication is so transformed that we are at the dawn of a new era where the war correspondent yields ground to the ordinary citizen. Today, people may speak directly to others by e-mail and the Internet ... unfiltered by journalist, editor or censor. ... [But] I don’t believe they will ever supplant the professional correspondent and the authority of a recognized news organization.” [2] Bullets and Bathrooms T AD B ARTIMUS “Women journalists no longer have to plead or finagle their way into combat coverage just because of their gender. They have proved—to soldiers, editors, each other and themselves— that they can go everywhere and do everything.” [8] From Telex to Satellite E DITH M. LEDERER “All these advances have made it theoretically possible to file copy to a home base at any time from almost anywhere—a jungle, a desert, a ship or a foxhole—even at the height of a battle. But while the new technology can deliver the news almost instantly, the basics of news gathering in times of conflict have changed very little.” [16] M EDIA S TUDIES J OURNAL [ iv ] Contents War, Censorship and the First Amendment J ACQUELINE E. SHARKEY “Understanding the news-management model that emerged at the end of the 20th century is important for several reasons. First, the government still uses some of its techniques to influence military coverage. Second, pre-censorship is another form of prior restraint. ... Finally, renewed discussions about military-news management are crucial at a time when the United States is increasingly involved in multinational operations.” [20] THE PEN AND THE SWORD Media-Military Relations: No Worse, No Better G EORGE C. WILSON “Consider the long-term consequences of this elimination of the middleman, the reporter. ... What looms ahead, then, is the prospect that the government will take a more direct route to the public, via the Internet, to win the war for people’s minds. As a result, government information—or propaganda—will have less of what is generally healthy filtering by the press.” [26] It Takes Two to Make a Team F RANK A UKOFER “The military, at the very top levels ... seriously embraced the message that the nation’s men and women in uniform needed to make their case to the American people, and that the best way to do it was through the traditional news media—despite the risks inherent in the scrutiny of a free press. ... Meanwhile, virtually no response came from news organizations.” [32] Lessons From Kosovo J AMES K ITFIELD “As the military-media clash over coverage of Kosovo revealed, changes in the nature and technology of both the journalistic and military professions seem likely to widen the cultural divide in the future. By many measures journalism is becoming more chaotic and the military more controlling.” [34] S UMMER 2001 [ v ] F RONT L INES AND D EADLINES Enough Is Enough J ANE K IRTLEY “Experience has shown that the military, given the opportunity, will do everything possible to use the media as instruments of propaganda, to shape public opinion and to garner support. This is perfectly understandable, but it is inimical to a free press and a free people. It is up to the press to resist, and it must.” [40] War Without Witnesses R OBERT S IMS “Journalists must recognize the importance to the military, and to the country, of protecting the lives of service men and women. Reporters and news organizations must develop responsible ways to do that, in tandem with the military. If they cannot confront this issue and develop procedures that work for them and for the military, they can expect the military to do it for them. They can expect a war without witnesses.” [46] Basic Training P ETER S.