The Press Prepares for War

The Pentagon's Image Offensive: Ten Questions

After sparring with the military since Vietnam over battlefield access, the press appears to have scored a victory. In December, Pentagon officials announced that if there is fighting in Iraq, reporters will travel with front-line troops. Though designed to counter Saddam Hussein's propaganda, the new rules seem preferable to the frustrating pool arrangement used during the gulf war. "If they follow through . . . it will give the American people a chance to learn about war as it unfolds," said Clark Hoyt, Washington editor for Knight Ridder newspapers, in a Washington Post article on December 4. That's a big "if." The announcement came with few details. So we asked Carlotta Gall, who is in Afghanistan for The New York Times; Stephen Franklin, a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune; Susan Taylor Martin, a foreign correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times; and Sig Christenson, military reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, what questions they have about the new policy.

1. When journalists encounter civilian casualties or U.S. casualties, or friendly-fire incidents, will they be free to report on them?

2. If stories pass through a military censor, will clear ground rules be established up front, and will there be an appeals process?

3. Will reporters be allowed to file during military operations? If, for security reasons, filing must wait until the operation is over, then will the military ensure that no news organization gets an unfair advantage?

4. Will reporters be allowed to identify soldiers by name, rank, and hometown? In Afghanistan, reporters were often reduced to using only rank and first names.

5. Will reporters be free to talk to captured Iraqis?

6. What happens when a reporter writes something that military officials don't like?

7. Will satellite phones be allowed? Will there be Internet access?

8. Once the fighting begins, will journalists be allowed to interview U.S. soldiers and report freely on what they say?

9. If the troops come to a town or refugee camp, can reporters linger and then rejoin the troops later?

10. If a reporter decides that the military unit that he or she is traveling with is unlikely to see action, may that reporter leave prematurely and/or request assignment to another unit?

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