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(no subject)
Feb. 28th, 2002 07:02 pm*rant on*
This story pisses me off big time. Pearl is one thing -- he was kidnapped from his normal beat, supposedly outside of the war zone. But the whining and complaining that the military and northern alliance could have potentially saved the lives of 10 to 15 journalists...by risking the lives of soldiers and local civilians...actually makes me a little ill. It's not the soldiers' job to get their legs blown off or get their helicopters shot down because a journalist wandered into a minefield. This isn't even a question of journalistic motives; whether the journalist got shot trying to expose an objective truth, or because they saw a pulitzer in their eyes, journalists cannot morally ask to risk the lives of others to save their butt when dangerous choices were made of their own free will. If a soldier or his or her commander is worried about journalists, that worry will detract from rest of the mission: ending the war as soon as possible and legitimately worrying about civilians who definitely *don't* want to be in the warzone.
*rant off*
This story pisses me off big time. Pearl is one thing -- he was kidnapped from his normal beat, supposedly outside of the war zone. But the whining and complaining that the military and northern alliance could have potentially saved the lives of 10 to 15 journalists...by risking the lives of soldiers and local civilians...actually makes me a little ill. It's not the soldiers' job to get their legs blown off or get their helicopters shot down because a journalist wandered into a minefield. This isn't even a question of journalistic motives; whether the journalist got shot trying to expose an objective truth, or because they saw a pulitzer in their eyes, journalists cannot morally ask to risk the lives of others to save their butt when dangerous choices were made of their own free will. If a soldier or his or her commander is worried about journalists, that worry will detract from rest of the mission: ending the war as soon as possible and legitimately worrying about civilians who definitely *don't* want to be in the warzone.
*rant off*
