The Daily Background
| Tragedy in Iraq
by Arlen Parsa
As I’m sure you’re aware by now, two CBS employees; a cameraman and a soundman, as well as an Iraqi translator and an American soldier were killed in Iraq yesterday. As they were getting out of their armored vehicle, an IED exploded nearby, killing them instantly, and CBS reporter Kim Dozier was injured severely (though she is expected to recover).
This is of course tragic news, and I have no doubt that the international journalist community at large is grieving. By various counts, eighty journalists have died covering the Iraq war, which is really staggering if you think about it (only 69 died in all of World War II, 63 in all of Vietnam, and 17 in Korea). Crooks and Liars has a good post up, recalling the right-wing attacks on the press. Of course, we’ve attacked the press as well.
On occasions like these it’s almost impossible not to remember that the press, for all its flaws and problems, is doing important work. And as much as we like to criticise them and critique them (as we should), things could be much worse. And we’re lucky that there are journalists who risk their lives to bring us headlines from one of the most dangerous places in the world right now.
The alternative would be just to believe everything the military’s press branch told us. Which is somtimes what the press does, they’re not without their faults of course.
Still, these are only four people dead and one wounded. And this war has consumed hundreds of thousands of lives, just as precious.
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