BOB GARFIELD: Last week, soon after the Pentagon announced how and when it would "embed" hundreds of reporters with military men and women in the theater of war, Editor & Publisher magazine got hold of the ground rules the chosen journalists would have to sign for the privilege. The ground rules, quote "recognize the right of the media to cover military operations and are in no way intended to prevent release of derogatory, embarrassing, negative or uncomplimentary information." There are 14 categories of information they can freely report, and 19 deemed not releasable, since their publication or broadcast could, quote, "'jeopardize operations and endanger lives." Among the non-releasables are information on the effectiveness of enemy cover deception, targeting, security measures; also direct and indirect fire. Photographs of prisoners of war will not be permitted.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:While many of the restrictions on coverage are clearly justified for the success of military operations and the safety of American troops, it is not yet clear how these rules will be implemented. Certain material will be subject to waiting periods before it can be released, and some journalists worry that it could amount to "censorship by delay," something they experienced during the first Gulf War. Brian Whitman is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Media Operations. He suggests that the time delay may be crucial.
BRIAN WHITMAN: What we have to be careful of is that we're not providing any intelligence to our adversaries -- in real time. You know I haven't ever met a reporter that was interested in compromising a military mission. These things are worked out on the ground, and that's the beauty of embedding and the -developing the relationship with the unit so that you know what is-- information that is--inappropriate to either report or report at that time because of the tactical situation.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:But it seems as if, if there were a war in Iraq, there would be very few instances in which reporters would be allowed to transmit images of combat as they occur!
BRIAN WHITMAN: Well, there's going to be some difficulties on the battlefield, no doubt; we don't anticipate any specific restrictions on their ability to transmit their products; in fact we're encouraging all news organizations to bring with them the necessary communication capabilities to independently send their news products back to their news organizations. There may be times though that, quite frankly, because the tactical situation is such that they will have to hold their product either because if the situation was reported it could compromise the mission at that time, or because even the signal that they might emit just as signals that we emit with our equipment will be restricted at times, given what that particular unit might be doing.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:I wanted to ask you about the restriction against quote "photographs or broadcasts showing an enemy prisoner of war or detainee's face, name tag or other identifying feature." Why is that in there?
BRIAN WHITMAN: Well if you read the entire passage there, coverage of EPW's - enemy prisoners of wars and detainees - are permitted to the extent in which the Geneva Conventions allow for -- and they are very restrictive in terms of what you can do in terms of photographing and reporting and questioning prisoners of war on the battlefield.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:Not too long ago we had a professor of international law from Duke University on to discuss this very idea -- it was in connection with the detainees at Guantanamo. He said that the convention was negotiated back in 1949 to protect prisoners from insults and public curiosity by publicly parading prisoners in front of jeering crowds. He said that to his knowledge, the principles of the Geneva Convention have never been invoked to justify a limitation on press freedom! Why can't the military trust the media on this?
BRIAN WHITMAN: Well, it's not a matter of trust; first of all I, I'm not a lawyer -- okay? But I can tell you that there are a lot of lawyers that have looked at this issue, and-- I think that there is some interpretation when you describe things such as public curiosity and what that constitutes and-- we are going to conduct ourselves in a way that we believe is consistent with the provisions of the Geneva Convention.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: What kind of stories should we expect to see if we go to war with Iraq -- with so many reporters embedded with the troops?
BRIAN WHITMAN:Embedding gives you a very rich, deep coverage but a very narrow coverage. And that's why it will be necessary for news organizations to cover this conflict, if there is one, from an-- other perspectives too -- from within the region, from here in the Pentagon. But I do believe at the end of the day the American people and the world will benefit by having these reporters out there with our units.
ROBERT BATEMAN: It's great to get reporters down there where they can't help but fall in love with our soldiers. You know -- these are, these are 18, 19 year old kids from the Bronx and from Nebraska and you know - they are-- all volunteers - as well. Plucks at some heartstrings.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:Major Robert Bateman is an historian as well as an Army officer but unlike deputy assistant secretary Brian Whitman from whom we just heard, Bateman does not speak for the Pentagon. Major Bateman, on the issue of falling in love with the troops -- that is a concern that some reporters have raised -- that the friendship that might develop could compromise their objectivity.
ROBERT BATEMAN: It's entirely possible. I feel sorry for the journalists that are going to [LAUGHTER] fall in love with the soldiers. [BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Sure you do. [LAUGHS]
ROBERT BATEMAN: [LAUGHS] But I'd also point out that there's still those thousand or 1500 reporters who aren't imbedded left over! It's not that American media is going to-- suddenly lose its objectivity, you know, because the reporter from a paper in Omaha or from rural New York are embedded with rifle platoons. You'll still have the major media outlets that act as a check upon each other. If one of them loses their objectivity, you can be sure that the rest of them will jump on the one that loses their objectivity like a pack of hounds.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: What kind of impact do you think the embedded reporters will have on the conduct of the troops?
ROBERT BATEMAN:One of the reasons why I like the idea of having a, a flood of reporters -- you have to realize, even in Vietnam, for example, in January - at the end of January, 1968 when the-- the Viet Cong kicked off the Tet Offensive, there were only about 70 accredited reporters in all of South Vietnam. And that includes like the sound man, the camera man, but you know what - that was more than enough to change the course of American history and American public opinion. But it wasn't enough to stop things like My Lai. Because there wasn't a reporter everywhere.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:Of course My Lai was the Vietnamese village where in 1968, American soldiers massacred 300 civilians. It was first reported by Seymour Hersh. So are you suggesting that embedding journalists with troops would somehow diminish the possibility for atrocities?
ROBERT BATEMAN: I think it can't be helped but that would be greatly diminished. I mean I would point out that Seymour Hersh -- he didn't find out about My Lai until they were already court-martialing Lieutenant Calley back at Fort Benning, Georgia! He reported on the trial! And that's how the story came out. I would think it would have been better if he had been in Vietnam with that company at that time and it didn't happen at all.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Major Robert Bateman, thank you very much.
ROBERT BATEMAN: My pleasure. Thank you for having me, Brooke.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Robert Bateman is a major in the U.S. Army and author of No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident.