I have amoung my collection of memorabilia a police badge. It's a pretty thing, with a gold shield and an Eagle on top, and its says "Press Police, Fulton County, Georgia" number 47. The reason this came to mind is a great debate taking place in the journalism world right now, primarily, I suspect, because of the war on terrorism.
The debate evolved something like this: U.S. reporters wanted to go to Afghanistan to cover the war, and they insisted they should be able to go where they want to go and interview whoever they please. That was okay with the U.S. military, except the press people also want the military to protect them...and the military says that this is okay if the press will sign on with them, stay out of their way and only go where the military forces can keep up with the reporters and have personnel already there to protect them.
America's journalists don't like this because except in Europe and America most countries license journalists and give them a pass of a badge, and without it they cannot report. In those countries if a journalist writes something the government woes not like, they lose their badge and thus their job. Journalists don't like for government to require press credentials, and I agree with them. At the same time, if the press wants to be free it has no business telling the military they should protect them. It is not our military' job to keep some dumb, adventuresome reporter from getting killed in war. In this case, I think it is appropriate for members of the press to be cleared for badges that tell them where they can and cannot go. It strikes me where we are at war, the press should be a part of free America rather than asking the U.S. military to answer to the free press.
Monday
August 4th, 2025
10:38AM
