Though it may seem ugly, America once again finds itself faced with an impending war. Some, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, would deny the American public any overseas civilian media coverage of this war, claiming that this coverage would only compromise national security. But in reality, a decision to deny civilian reporters the right to deliver the news only compromises the United States’ freedom of press, thereby stripping all Americans of their First Amendment right.
Because of the potential loss of American life involved, no one is happy with the possibility of a new war. But as this possibility becomes a reality, the American public is entitled to witness the day-to-day developments of this war from the front lines.
A war waged against the American people requires that the American people themselves know what they are facing, whether at home or abroad. Just as soldiers must man their posts, reporters, too, have obligations to the public during these trying times. Their duty is to relay the news, and this duty becomes increasingly more important in times of war. Every citizen now has a responsibility to his country; reporters must not be stopped from fulfilling theirs.
Critics of civilian war coverage will argue that it can potentially divulge soldier locations and military maneuvers to opposing forces.
But for those who do not remember, the war in the Persian Gulf was a decisive American victory. No amount of media coverage in the world could have saved Iraq; the fact is, news coverage did not play a significant role.
Ultimately, warfare is waged on both physical and mental fronts. If terrorist forces are allowed to dictate U.S. media involvement, the global community will see America as intimidated and the Unites States will lose much of its psychological edge. No matter the circumstances, outsiders cannot be allowed to control this country’s actions in any way, whether they are military or media related.
Admittedly, if the American news were to somehow divulge sensitive military maneuvers or battle strategies to the Afghans, it could present a problem. But civilian reporters should nonetheless be allowed to accompany soldiers with the understanding that they, for the safety of their country, will not report militarily sensitive information of any kind. The government has no legitimate reason to remove the media from the picture entirely.
The potential for overseas news coverage of “Operation Infinite Justice” may already be looking bad. The Taliban, the ruling Afghan government, has told CNN to leave Afghanistan, and it looks as if much of the U.S. reporting there will be done illegally. If civilian news crews are allowed to accompany U.S. soldiers, they have a much more realistic chance of not only reporting the news, but also survival.
The Taliban has also taken steps to ban the Internet in Afghanistan, as they consider it “wrong, obscene, immoral and against Islam,” according to Foreign Minister Mahlui Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil. A war-torn nation such as Afghanistan does little to embrace technology. They do not stand to gain any significant wartime advantage from the U.S. media.
Whether the coverage is extensive or limited, the American media has an obligation to history to capture this country’s new war. Terrorism has done enough to infringe on the rights of Americans, the government cannot be allowed to do the same.