Fog of War

“Geraldo Rivera Draws Controversy in Afghanistan
Story Filed: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 3:50 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It didn't take long after arriving in Afghanistan as a war correspondent for maverick broadcaster Geraldo Rivera to do what he is best known for -- generate controversy.

Days after nearly having his hair parted by sniper fire while filming a report for the Fox News Channel near Jalalabad, Rivera found himself the target of criticism in journalistic circles for carrying a gun on assignment, despite long-standing taboos against correspondents packing heat in war zones.

Now the Baltimore Sun is challenging Rivera and Fox News on a dispatch Rivera filed about a deadly ``friendly fire'' bombing incident Dec. 5 near the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, where three U.S. soldiers and several anti-Taliban Afghan fighters were killed in a U.S. air strike.

River reported on Dec. 6 that he became choked up after reciting the Lord's Prayer over the ``hallowed ground'' where ''friendly fire took so many of our men and the mujahideen

yesterday.''

But according to the Sun, Rivera later acknowledged he actually had been several hundred miles from the Kandahar bombing site and had confused that mishap with another ''friendly fire'' incident that claimed several Afghan lives in Tora Bora.

Rivera was quoted by the Sun as saying that his mistake was due to ``the fog of war''.

The problem with his explanation, the Sun has reported, is that according to the Pentagon, the Tora Bora incident occurred at least three days after Rivera's Dec. 6 report.

Officials for Fox News Channel did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

The apparent contradictions have raised questions from news executives and journalistic ethicists.

``I believe that Geraldo Rivera and Fox News owe their viewers a substantive explanation of what this means, journalistically and ethically,'' Bob Steele, director of the ethics program at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, told the Sun.

Previously, fellow broadcasters raised eyebrows at Rivera's admission that he was carrying a firearm, a practice they described as foolhardy and a violation of long-standing conventions that could endanger other journalists.

Rivera, 58, whose 30-year career as a broadcast journalist has been punctuated by controversy, left his own 7-year-old talk show on CNBC last month to take a job as a war correspondent for rival cable outlet Fox News.

Fox is an affiliate of News Corp. Ltd.”

“Why do people cut and paste new stories? Do you think we could find it on our own? As for me I read news a news site, not here. I guess at least you didn’t email it to me, I hate that.

Sorry , that came out pretty critical.”

“I'm sorry, did I offend you just now
pardon me I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you
really I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you
should I like change my attitude
should I change my whole way of being
huh? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
I'm sorry.”

“Sounds more like Geraldo was lost in the fog of hashesh.

Mt. Girl,
I do cut and paste jobs because most on TT can't find (or are too lazy) to find the truthful news sites. They get most of their news from Donald Rumsfeld, Reichs Marshall Ashkroft, and Dubya. Plus it drives some people nuts so they post lots of rebuttals. That translates into hits for TT and that makes money for Matt.
Cutting and pasting is a great way to spin the dharmy. It's a win-win situation.”

“Somebody, please hit that guy over the head with a chair.”

“I think somebody already has. What do you think causes that?”

“Maybe if journalists DID pack heat, not as many of them would be *helplessly* slaughtered...like the many murdered war journalists in the past.”

“Reminds me of the TV preacher who had a replica of a section of China's Great Wall built in his backyard to film the 'starving Chinese kids'.

Perhaps Lizs can shed some light on the 'unarmed journalist' issue. I know journalists get justifiably mad as Hell when one of their peers works for the CIA because it puts All of them at risk when working overseas in dicey situations.

Perhaps it's a similar thing.

Being strictly seen as a non-combatant seems to offer protection most of the time... but it doesn't help when they run into everyday thieves and murderers.”

“Most wars in this region dont fall into your "goodies v baddies" type of war. Most of the "goodies" at one time or another have indulged in nefarious activities. How else could they afford to arm their militia groups (Apart from the massive hand-outs the US gave in the 80's to fight the Russians).
It is also a deperately poor country, so if they see some fellas with fancy clothes and expensive cameras and they've just watched one of their family dying of hunger, sure their gonna have a go.
Which brings me to my point. It should be up to the bunny facing the threat who decides if he wants to go in armed.”

“It just seems to me that it would make them more of a target and less effective at their job. Neutrality is a big part of war journalism.”

“Some lack social skills, some don't. Those who don't find it to be a considerate and thoughtful way of introducing a topic of conversation.”

“Solitary hiker is a blessing for this forum even though he is a radical right-wing republican cut from the same cloth as Timothy McVeigh and other violent republican types who hate the government.”

“I saw Geraldo on O'Reilly last night complaining about how people who were jealous of him were trying to impugn his integrity. He said he expected to be patted on the back for his war coverage (like he was a combatant or something).

He repeated his claim that he was confusing the Tora Bora and Kandahar incidents but didn't even address the fact that no journalist, international aid worker or Defense Department official interviewed could confirm the existence of another "friendly fire" incident on Dec. 5th in the Tora Bora area.

He went on to say that the network was changing its name to FAUX News.”

“Ha!

For just an instant, I thought the title was "Frog of War". ("what?")

I was closer to the truth than I knew!”

“Hey, who's this rosIEmonster imposter anyway? Feck off!!!”

“Violin you are too much!

8)”

“It just keeps getting better and better.”

“This guy was obligated to make it clear that his statements were false. He obviously made statements to Fox News that were intended to deceive.

It comes down to a question of "Is a lie of omission still a lie?"

Well, is it?

Remember those famous words? "I never had sex with that woman, (awkward pause) Monica Lewinski."

Geraldo had an obligation too, but he let us down.”

“When I first started seeing Fox News Channel reports, I thought it was a joke. I still do.”

“Fox Sux”

“Did anybody see this documentary based on an interview with former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara? It is outstanding and a must see for amateur historians!”

“No I haven't seen it but I heard all about it from Rush Limbaugh and Neil Boortz.

Why waste my money?”

“Frog of war?


FROGMARCH!”

“Actually BB - If you have access to back issues of 'The Nation' magazine, there was an interesting back and forth debate in the letters section over several issues between Errol Morris and Eric Alterman about the accuracy of the film.”

“would a frog march be with hands raised over head?”

“Yes, also know as a French parade.”

“The germans can really organize a French parade like nobodies business.”

“LOL, Just like nobodies business.”