The High Cost Of War Reporting

A total of 50 journalists have been killed so far this year according to RSF. © AFP/File

France 24: Crippling costs of war reporting and investigative journalism

PARIS (AFP) - The cost of war reporting and investigative journalism is becoming prohibitive for media outlets, campaigners have warned.

With Internet giants like Google and Facebook soaking up advertising revenue while using the content of traditional media for free, quality journalism has been caught in a double bind, experts say.

At the same time it had become more expensive and dangerous to cover conflict zones, said Jean-Francois Leroy, the head of Visa pour l'Image, one of Europe's most important photojournalism festivals.

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WNU Editor: The old business models that sustained war coverage by news organizations in the past are no longer viable in today's world .... especially from print media. I have noticed this drop in coverage myself .... the sources I used in the past are no longer there, or they are severely limited.

After One Year MSNBC Covered 'Stormy Daniels' 455 Times, 'War In Yemen' 0

Saudi Arabia has been leading a series of airstrikes against the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi militants since March 26. Above, a Saudi soldier fired a mortar at the Saudi border with Yemen on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

FAIR: ACTION ALERT: It’s Been Over a Year Since MSNBC Has Mentioned US War in Yemen

Why is the No. 1 outlet of alleged anti-Trump #resistance completely ignoring his most devastating war?

As FAIR has noted before (1/8/18, 3/20/18), to MSNBC, the carnage and destruction the US and its Gulf Monarchy allies are leveling against the poorest country in the Arab world is simply a non-issue.

On July 2, a year had passed since the cable network’s last segment mentioning US participation in the war on Yemen, which has killed in excess of 15,000 people and resulted in over a million cases of cholera. The US is backing a Saudi-led bombing campaign with intelligence, refueling, political cover, military hardware and, as of March, ground troops. None of this matters at all to what Adweek (4/3/18) calls “the network of the Resistance,” which has since its last mention of the US’s role in the destruction of Yemen found time to run over a dozen segments highlighting war crimes committed by the Syrian and Russian governments in Syria.

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WNU Editor: As I have mentioned more than once in the past. My beef with the media is not on what they cover, but what they choose to not to cover. This story on MSNBC' s lack of coverage of the Yemen war is unfortunately just one of many examples on how news coverage is often skewed to cover a certain political agenda, while ignoring all other news stories.

This Is How The U.S. Media Covers The War In Afghanistan

There are exactly four journalists at the Pentagon briefing on Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/9UcYflYJn0

— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) June 27, 2018

WNU Editor: Apparently a few more journalists showed up later, but this is not how you cover a conflict where thousands of American soldiers are risking their lives everyday.

Israel’s Parliament Is Considering A Law Banning The Photographing Or Filming Of Soldiers

Image of Palestinian journalist injured by Israeli soldiers in Gaza [file photo]

The Independent: Israel considering law to ban photographing or filming of IDF soldiers

Bill aims to 'silence criticism of the army', critics say

Israel’s parliament is to consider a law banning the photographing or filming of soldiers, in what critics claim is a “dangerous” attempt to undermine scrutiny of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

Under the proposed legislation, entitled the “Prohibition against photocopying and documenting IDF Soldiers”, those found photographing troops “with the intention of undermining the spirit” of the army can be punished by up to 10 years in prison.

“Anyone who filmed, photographed, and/or recorded soldiers in the course of their duties, with the intention of undermining the spirit of IDF soldiers and residents of Israel, shall be liable to five years imprisonment,” says the bill, proposed by Robert Ilatov, a member of the Knesset and the chairman of the right-wing nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party.

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WNU Editor: Almost every country has some regulations and laws when it comes to covering their military in conflict zones. It looks like Israel is going to be just like everyone else.

Iraqi Blogger 'Mosul Eye' Reveals His Identity

Vanity Fair: “Mosul Eye,” the Stealth Historian of ISIS Atrocities, Steps Out of the Shadows

Omar Mohammed risked death in anonymity—until now.

Omar Mohammed was a stealth historian risking death with virtually every keystroke. His is a tale of the anonymity of heroism—until now. Mohammed, 31, revealed to the Associated Press that he indeed “is the man behind the legendary and widely read Mosul Eye, the pseudonym under which he wrote the catalog of horrors that was life under Islamic State fanatics.”

Reporters Lori Hinnan and Maggie Michael broke a tale fit for a Hollywood thriller, though one probably wouldn't believe the story line if you just showed up at your favorite AMC theater.

“Anonymous for more than three years, Mohammed wandered the streets of occupied Mosul by day, chatting with shopkeepers and Islamic State fighters, visiting friends who worked at the hospital, swapping scraps of information. He grew out his hair and his beard and wore the shortened trousers required by the extremists. He forced himself to witness the beheadings and deaths by stoning, so he could hear killers call out the names of the condemned and their supposed crimes.”

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Update: Chronicler of Islamic State ‘killing machine’ goes public -- AP

WNU Editor: He is taking a big risk. In my opinion it is way too early to reveal himself.

Why The Lack Of Coverage From The U.S. Media On The Liberation Of Raqqa From The Islamic State?

Joe Concha, The Hill: We are finally beating ISIS, but media won't give Trump credit

ISIS — and particularly its expanding caliphate — used to be a major news story in this country. Defeating the terror army that largely stretched across Syria and Iraq was a major campaign topic in 2016.

So one would think, after the ISIS de facto capital of Raqqa was liberated from the terror group by U.S-backed Syrian and Kurdish forces on Tuesday, that the story would dominate news coverage.

But it didn't. Not even close.

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WNU Editor: I have mentioned it before .... but one of my pet peeves with the U.S. main stream news media is not the stories that they cover, but what they choose to not recover. The capture of the Islamic State's capital is a big story .... something that this blog covered extensively .... and still is. But when it came to finding links and videos on this story .... especially in the past 2 months ....  the majority either came Europe, the Middle East, or the wire services. The U.S. media was simply notr there. Is it because the U.S. media does not want to give credit to President Trump .... I do not know. But for someone like myself who always sources from the U.S. news and the international news media for this blog .... this lack of coverage has been surprising.

Always Check Your Sources When It Comes To Media Coverage In Conflict Zones

Journalists interviewing Russian General Igor Konashenkov (ru:И́горь Конаше́нков) at Bassel Al-Assad International Airport during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War. Wikipedia

Rodger Shanahan, Lowy Institute: War Reporting 101: Check Your Sources

Earlier this year I wrote about the willingness of the news media to highlight claims of civilian casualties caused by coalition forces operating in Iraq and Syria, but their apparent unwillingness to critically examine their sources or to follow up when their claims have been denied, dismissed or proven wrong by the coalition. Of course, errors happen in war and civilians are killed. But some groups and individuals also claim civilians have been killed when they don't know the facts. And in other cases, they use the media to promote claims they know to be false.

This issue has been the subject of some heated discussion in Foreign Policy. The founder of Airwars, a site that investigates and reports on alleged civilian casualties, wrote a scathing article criticising US acceptance of, and attitudes to, civilian casualties. In response, the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Stephen Townsend took to Foreign Policy to criticise advocacy groups and the media for a lack of intellectual rigour in assessing their sources before making claims of civilian casualties. He noted that, of the 270 allegations made by Airwars that had been assessed, 258 (more than 95%) had been found to be non-credible.

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WNU Editor: This blog has been covering wars and conflicts for 10 years. And during this time I have lost count on what was reported one day .... then proven to be false or misleading a week/month/year later. The best formula that I have found to counter all of this is to list multiple sources, indicate who they are, and if I have personal experience related to the story being posted .... to then express my opinion.

The Pentagon Press Corps Is Getting Frustrated

Politico: Pentagon reporters frustrated by Mattis

Trump's war on the press may be spilling over into the Defense Department, journalists fear.

Pentagon reporters are complaining of decreased access to Defense Secretary James Mattis, as well as a reduction in journalists allowed to travel on official trips, at a time when the Trump administration is dealing with national security challenges from the Middle East to North Korea.

Under Mattis, the Defense Department has become less transparent and publicly accountable than it has been in previous administrations, according to interviews with numerous reporters who cover the beat. The reporters requested anonymity, saying they feared that being quoted by name could lead to further loss of access.

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Update: Pentagon reporters annoyed with decreased access to Mattis: report (The Hill)

WNU Editor: This blog has been covering the Pentagon for the past ten years, and during the Obama administration I was always astounded on the news and strategies that were made available to the public via through the news media. I could never understand why the administration was doing this (aside from the political reasons) .... because all it did was to give America's adversaries a heads up on what the U.S. was going to do. Case in point .... announcing the date for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan even though the war was (and is) raging in the countryside. As for the Trump administration .... especially the Pentagon .... they have adopted a different approach, and one that is more in line with the past. Is the press frustrated with this new policy .... quite clearly they are. My prediction .... I expect this frustration to only increase with time, because I doubt that Defense Secretary James Mattis and President Trump are going to bend on this one.

Iraqi Journalist's Life Is Saved When His GoPro Deflects A Sniper's Bullet

Task & Purpose: Watch An Iraqi Journalist’s GoPro Deflect An ISIS Sniper’s Bullet In Mosul

When Iraqi journalist Ammar Alwaely decided to cover the U.S.-led coalition’s bloody siege of ISIS-occupied Mosul, he surely knew the risks. But Alwaely probably didn’t know how close he’d come to death — or that his camera would save his life.

On May 13, Alwaely was filming on the streets of Mosul when an ISIS sniper reportedly took a shot at him. Instead of killing him, the round deflected off of the compact GoPro camera affixed to his flak jacket, according to The Sun.

The whole incident was captured on video by Owen Holdaway, a journalist for The Sun:

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WNU Editor: Wow .... that is a close call. Here is another close call .... Iraqi soldier 'saves his squad by driving a bulldozer into an ISIS suicide car bomb, forcing it to explode... but incredibly survives' (Daily Mail).

Popular Kurdish Reporter Shifa Gardi Killed In Mosul By Roadside Bomb

Smiling into the camera as she interviewed Iraqi soldiers, journalist Shifa Gardi had no idea this would be her last report

Daily Mail: Female TV reporter's final broadcast one hour before she was killed in Mosul as Iraqi forces push into West of the city despite resistance from ISIS snipers, bombs and armed DRONES

* Shifa Gardi was covering the ongoing fight against ISIS in Mosul for Kurdish outlet Rudaw prior to the tragedy
* Her editors said the talented journalist was killed by explosive device on a road just an hour after a report
* Iraqi forces entered the neighbourhoods of the west bank of Mosul yesterday in a huge bid for the city
* Fighting continued today with ISIS jihadis putting up stiff resistance to attack as the long conflict rumbles on
* Iraqi troops are moving slowly but ISIS are responding with car bombs, snipers and dozens of armed drones
* In Syria, an Al-Qaeda insurgent coalition killed 42 people in synchronised attacks on security offices in Homs
* President Assad's regime carried out air strikes on Daraa and Douma, with children pictured in hospital

Smiling into the camera as she interviewed Iraqi soldiers today, journalist Shifa Gardi had no idea this would be her last report.

Just one hour later the 30-year-old was killed by a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Mosul, while covering the fight against ISIS for Iraqi Kurdish channel Rudaw.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Syria 42 security officers and personnel were killed in synchronised suicide bombings in the country's third city, Homs.

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More News On Popular Kurdish Reporter Killed In Mosul By Roadside Bomb

Rudaw reporter and anchor Shifa Gardi killed by roadside bomb in Mosul -- RUDAW
Mosul battle: Kurdish reporter Shifa Gardi killed in Iraq -- BBC
Iraqi Kurdish TV reporter killed in Mosul -- AFP
Kurdish reporter Shifa Gardi killed in Iraq -- CNN
Rudaw's Shifa Gardi killed covering battle for Mosul -- Al Jazeera
Kurdish journalist killed by roadside bomb in Mosul -- RT
Iraqi Kurdish journalist killed by roadside bomb in Mosul -- Committee to Protect Journalists

Is The Media Covering Terror Attacks?

David Graham, The Atlantic: Trump's Baseless Claim That the Media Covers Up Terror Attacks

The president asserted, without any evidence, that reporters were intentionally refusing to publicize terrorist violence in Europe.

The Donald Trump who arrived at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa on Monday was subdued and dark, promising to keep the United States against “radical Islamic terror” through a strong defense, and accusing the press of willfully refusing to report on terrorist attacks.

But first, as he is wont to do, Trump let his mind drift back to a happier time, before he was ensconced in the White House with a passel of quarreling advisers, an unrelenting chorus of critics, and a federal judiciary stymieing his agenda.

“We had a wonderful election, didn’t we?” the president said as he began his remarks. “And I saw those numbers, and you liked me, and I like you. That’s the way it worked.”

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WNU Editor: For everyone's info .... the Global Terrorism Database has in its database information on more than 150,000 terrorist attacks since 1970. The link is here. As to the media meltdown on President Trump's accusation that the media ignores terrorism stories .... this blog has been critical of the main stream media's coverage of terrorism (or lack of) for years .... starting with the horrific situation that millions of Christians have .... and are now facing .... in the Middle East. But in fairness to the media .... they are limited by time and resources, and they have to select stories that they believe their audience would be interested in. But as to the big terror stories in America and the U.S. .... some media outlets may downplay the role that Islam may have played in what motivated a terror attack .... but these stories are eventually covered, and President Trump is wrong on this point.

More News On President Trump's Accusations That The Media is Covering Terror Attacks

Trump: 'Dishonest press' won't report terrorist attacks -- The Hill
Trump Says 'Very Dishonest Press Does Not Want to Report' on Terror -- ABC News
President Trump Says Media 'Doesn't Want to Report' on Terror Attacks -- Time
White House list of 'under-reported' terror attacks is littered with errors -- Sydney Morning herald
Journalists call out White House claims on terror reporting -- CNN
Trump says terror attacks 'under-reported': Is that true? -- BBC
The Terror Attacks Trump Won't Talk About -- Mark Follman, Mother Jones

A War Correspondent Wonders Why The Ukraine War is Not Being Covered

The author, left, on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. (Photo: Nolan Peterson/The Daily Signal)

Nolan Peterson, Daily Signal: Reporting From the War Zone: Why Conflict Journalism Matters

KYIV, Ukraine—In June of 2015, I spent eight days embedded with the Ukrainian army in the front-line town of Pisky in eastern Ukraine.

I’ve been back and forth to the front lines in eastern Ukraine many times in the more than two years I’ve covered this conflict, but those eight days in Pisky stand out from the rest.

It was an active time, with near constant artillery and mortar fire. The supersonic snap of bullets overhead was common, as was the background din of machine guns and small arms. A tank even shot at me.

It was terrifying. As a former U.S. special operations pilot, I had never witnessed that level of combat intensity in Iraq or Afghanistan. Even when I embedded with the Kurdish peshmerga outside of Mosul in Iraq in May, I didn’t see such heavy fighting.

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WNU Editor: Nolan Peterson's take on how uninterested the Western media is on the Ukraine war is spot on. The lack of coverage is truly astounding.

A Look At How Social Media Is Being Used To Cover The Fight Against The Islamic State

#Iraq's ISOF Lt. Omar Naji, who hails from #Mosul, taking a selfie immediately following an IED explosion. (via @thestevennabil) #MosulOps pic.twitter.com/x0uctyetBK

— Bin Maymun (@BinMaymun) November 1, 2016

The Independent: Mosul battle: How the fight against Isis is being reported through victory selfies and Facebook statuses

New trend in frontline ‘victory selfies’ and videos make war more immediate than ever before, providing Iraqi civilians with live updates on frontline action.

When the battle to retake Mosul from Isis began last month, many were unnerved by the idea that the war was being livestreamed through Facebook.

While the feed is no different from live broadcast news, the ability to send reaction emoticons as pictures of tanks roll through the Nineveh plains is a decidedly 21st-century development in how we understand conflict.

The fight against Isis may look strange broadcast via Facebook Live to those far away but for Iraqis close to the fighting, soldiers on the ground posting to social media is often beating traditional news sources as their first port of call for what’s happening.

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WNU Editor: For those who have loved ones on the front .... social media must be a Godsend for those who are worried 24/7 .... as well as for the general public who are near the fighting. I know when the Ukraine war broke out .... social media was the number media tool used by everyone in the region to understand what was happening ..... and in many cases these social media posts were far more up-to-date and accurate than what was being reported by traditional news media outlets.

Family Of U.S. Reporter Marie Colvin Sues Syria For Her Death In Homs

A man holds a sign honoring Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin after a memorial service, outside St Martin in the Field in London May 16, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Reuters: Family of killed U.S. journalist Marie Colvin sues Syria

The family of American journalist Marie Colvin, who died in Syria in 2012, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a U.S. court, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately killing her.

Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs in 2012 while reporting on the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington on Saturday and seen by Reuters, said Syrian officials deliberately targeted rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working.

The suit alleged the attack was part of a plan orchestrated at the highest levels of the Syrian government to silence local and international media "as part of its effort to crush political opposition".

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Previous Post: Two Western Journalists Killed While Covering Syria's Civil War (February 22, 2012)

Update #1: Family Of U.S. Reporter Sues Syria Over Her Death In Homs (RFE)
Update #2: War reporter Marie Colvin was tracked, targeted and killed by Assad’s forces, family says (Washington Post)

WNU Editor: Was American journalist Marie Colvin targeted by the Syrian military .... I do not know. But what I do know is that during that time this blog was covering the Syrian conflict via through the eyewitness reports from about a dozen Syrian journalists, bloggers and vloggers .... but within a year they were all dead, in prison, or just simply disappeared.

Has U.S. Media Coverage Of The Syrian War Been Wrong?

GGN

Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe: The media are misleading the public on Syria

COVERAGE OF the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press. Reporting about carnage in the ancient city of Aleppo is the latest reason why.

For three years, violent militants have run Aleppo. Their rule began with a wave of repression. They posted notices warning residents: “Don’t send your children to school. If you do, we will get the backpack and you will get the coffin.” Then they destroyed factories, hoping that unemployed workers would have no recourse other than to become fighters. They trucked looted machinery to Turkey and sold it.

This month, people in Aleppo have finally seen glimmers of hope. The Syrian army and its allies have been pushing militants out of the city. Last week they reclaimed the main power plant. Regular electricity may soon be restored. The militants’ hold on the city could be ending.

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WNU Editor: This is why I like posting news stories from other countries .... everyone has a different opinion and/or analysis. In regards to the Syrian conflict .... we are definitely starting to see these contradictions.

Hat Tip Jay for this link.

Journalist Who Documented Islamic State Atrocities Is Murdered In Turkey

New York Times: Syrian Journalist Who Documented ISIS Atrocities Is Killed in Turkey

ISTANBUL — A Syrian journalist and filmmaker who documented atrocities by the Islamic State in Syria and trained hundreds of citizen journalists has been killed in a Turkish town near the Syria border, rights activists said Monday, calling the death an assassination.

The killing of the journalist, Naji Jerf, in Gaziantep, Turkey, happened on Sunday, one day before he and his family were scheduled to fly to France, where they were seeking asylum. Unconfirmed news reports from Gaziantep said that he had been shot to death.

Mr. Jerf had recently posted on YouTube a documentary on the killing of Syrian activists during the Islamic State’s occupation of the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2013 and 2014. It was recently broadcast by the television network Al Arabiya.

More News On The Assassination Of Naji Jerf In Turkey

Anti-IS Syrian filmmaker laid to rest in southern Turkey -- AFP
Anti-Islamic State journalist murdered in Turkey -- BBC
Syrian Journalist Who Exposed ISIS Atrocities is Shot Dead in Turkey -- Time
Anti-IS Syrian filmmaker laid to rest in southern Turkey -- AFP
Syrian journalist & filmmaker who exposed ISIS Aleppo atrocities assassinated in Turkey -- RT
Syrian activist Naji Jerf slain in Turkey -- CNN
Syrian journalist who exposed ISIS atrocities murdered in Turkey -- Mashable
Syrian Filmmaker Naji Jerf Killed in Turkey After Exposing ISIS Crimes in Aleppo -- Global Voices
Syrian journalist Naji Jerf shot dead in Gaziantep, Turkey -- CPJ

What Makes A War Reporter

Lara Logan, Council on Foreign Relations

Lloyd Grove, Daily Beast: Worthy, Deadly, and Selfish: What Makes a War Reporter

They want the story, but what about their safety, and their loved ones? Lara Logan, Sebastian Junger, and Matthieu Aikins reveal the life and death realities of combat journalism.
Before her most recent trip to Iraq—for a 60 Minutes feature on the pitched battle for territory between Shia militias and Sunni Islamic State fighters—CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan had a sobering conversation with her 5-year-old daughter, Lola.

“My daughter said, ‘Mommy, can I come with you?’ And I had to say, ‘No. You can’t come with me. I’m working,’” Logan recounted to a lunchtime crowd Tuesday at Manhattan’s Council on Foreign Relations.

“And she said, ‘But I want to come with you.’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s not safe for kids. There are bad guys there. It’s not safe for children,’” Logan continued during a panel on the dangers journalists regularly confront to report on the chaos of the Middle East.

WNU Editor: My father always wanted to be a war correspondent ... but he never realized his dream (no job openings in the former Soviet Union). In my case .... I have always been interested in international affairs .... but covering wars was never my forte or interest. But life is strange .... and now I edit a blog that not only covers wars and conflicts, but is read by war correspondents. Sighhh .... if my father was alive today, he would be shaking his head in wonderment.

How Has Russian Media Covered The Shooting Down Of A Russian Jet By Turkey

REUTERS/DENIS SINYAKOV

IBTimes: How Russia's Media Covered Turkey Shooting Down A Russian Fighter Jet

Russian state-owned television portrayed Turkey on Tuesday evening news bulletins as a supporter of the Islamic State group that had been angered by Russia’s allegedly successful air campaign in Syria, while commentators expressed fear that the Kremlin's response could lead to Russian jets becoming entangled in dogfights with their Turkish counterparts. “There are many cases when a plane of one country violates the airspace of another country,” said a reporter on state-owned Channel One. “To shoot a plane down you have to want to shoot it down.”

Most state-owned Russian media stressed the Russian ground attack aircraft that was targeted had been flying over Syrian territory when it was shot down by Turkey Tuesday. They speculated over Turkey’s possible motivation for such an act of aggression.

WNU Editor: For this story I watched and listened to U.S., Canadian, British, and Russian media .... and I found very little if any difference in the coverage. Russian pundits were more worried on escalation .... but even U.S. conservative talk show host Sean Hannity was giving the benefit of the doubt to Russia. Overall .... I guess I can say that opinion was mixed. Russian social media .... that is a different story. It ranged from launching retaliatory strikes against Turkey .... to getting the hell out of Syria.

Did The U.S. Bomb ISIS Oil Fields Last Week?

RT: Epic bombing fail? PBS uses Russian footage to depict US airstrikes on ISIS oil fields

Apparently being unable to find any footage of the US Air Force strikes against Islamic State’s oil infrastructure, PBS NewsHour spliced Russian Defense Ministry’s video into their report – but it did not go unnoticed.

The PBS report last week used two objective control videos made by Russian drones while Sukhoi bombers based at Khmeimim airfield in Latakia bombed out an oil storage facility in Syria used by ISIS and a large camp of oil trucks.

WNU Editor: Commentator Jay was the first one to give me a heads up on this story last week, but it is only now that Russian news media is reporting on it. And while I believe the U.S. when they said that they bombed these facilities .... it is strange that they have not made available any video footage of this much publicized attack.

U.S. Law Of War Manual Allows Journalists To Be Held as 'Belligerents'

New York Times: Will the Pentagon Change Its Manual on the Law of War?

A senior lawyer at the Defense Department said last week that criticism about a section on the role and treatment of journalists in the Pentagon’s new Law of War manual, is “something of major concern.” And well it should be.

Charles Allen, a Pentagon lawyer, told Bob Garfield, the co-host of the National Public Radio show On the Media, that department officials are taking public comments into account to “make updates” to guidelines in the document that spells out the Pentagon’s view of the law of armed conflict.

That can’t happen quickly enough.

Update: DoD Manual Allows Journalists to Be Held as 'Belligerents' -- Military.com/AP

WNU Editor: if you have nothing better to to .... the 1,180 page Law of War manual is here.