reporters sans frontiers

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by TCO
I think we should take all the INdy media types and make them wait tables at that commie pklace uin Chincagol

Please, don't let your children post while drunk.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
a little whinyness about the guys dumb enough to point video cams at tanks during the war.

In case you'd forgotten, major combat operations are over. That incident happened only a few months ago.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


US libel laws favor rich plaintiffs, and especially disfavor poor defendants, due to the ridiculous costs of litigation here. It doesn't matter if you're right - it matters if you can afford to go to trial.

Well, civil cases always favor rich plaintiffs, the same way criminal cases favor rich defendants. But I think that's far less true in libel cases because (1) defendants also tend to be rich (i.e., corporate media), and (2) our libel laws massively favor the defendants. That's why the only successful libel suits you ever read about here are the ones against supermarket tabloids like the Enquirer. The UK's a whole different ballgame; essentially, the burden of proof is on teh defendant to prove that they didn't libel the plaintiff. The result is not only more successful libel suits against the press, but also more self-censorship on the part of reporters and media outlets.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Also, since the 11 September attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security lines at some official buildings.

Say what? You mean in 2002, the other 16 countries ahead of the US just let journalists cross security lines at official buildings willy-nilly?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Outside the U.S., few assume they were shot accidentally.

Reality is a bit in between the "evil imperialist murdering poor guardians of truth and justice" and "golly gee gosh, they'd never hurt a hair on an innocent journalist's head.

Particularly the cameraman in the hotel who got hosed by the coax MMG of the M1A1 he was filmimg was just stupid. When the armor pukes (who have really constrained situational awareness buttoned inside a tank) start training that main gun your way, you don't stand there and film with a funky looking box on your shoulder, you get the **** out of Dodge.

The specific intent to kill journalists wasn't there, because there's no reasonable evidence the shooters knew they were shooting at journalists. But the "when in doubt, wipe 'em out" concept of aggressively engaging threats for the sake of self-preservation when you're in a hostile environment was there - it's a key part of why we have the best warfighting ability.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


In case you'd forgotten, major combat operations are over. That incident happened only a few months ago.

If you're inside an AFV, and you think some greasy c********r hostile is pointing an RPG or other AT weapon at you, major combat operations just restarted.

You know what you call the crew of an AFV hit by AT fire?

Shake-n-bake.

The armor pukes know that joke too. It's one of theirs, but they sure don't intend to let the joke happen to them.

[st_swithin]

Originally posted by TCO


My dad died in 1985, b1tch.

My bad. No offence meant.

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Also, since the 11 September attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security lines at some official buildings.

Say what? You mean in 2002, the other 16 countries ahead of the US just let journalists cross security lines at official buildings willy-nilly?

Maybe none tried. Maybe its not that the US has bad freedom, just journalists who're braver/stupider than most?

[Buck Birdseed]

It's as much a popularity contest (ie. the asking of the opinions of the people most directly affected) as the Transparency International ranking and I've never seen you complain about that!

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
Particularly the cameraman in the hotel who got hosed by the coax MMG of the M1A1 he was filmimg was just stupid.

You're combining two events. The one with the cameraman whose camera was mistaken for a tow (which I can accept), and the shelling of the hotel. The former is a case of mistaken identity. The latter, well, none of the eye witnesses heard any small fire coming from the hotel. The tank crew just opened fire (with their main weapon). Nor is there any excuse for dropping a bomb on al-Jazeera.