Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Reports from war zone a scam
Western news media are deceiving the public, according to Rageh Omaar, the former BBC broadcast journalist known for his cool-headed reports from Baghdad during the early days of the invasion of Iraq.
The reporter, dubbed The Scud Stud by the New York Post, was the victim of a whispering campaign by UK Government officials concerning undue influence on his reports by Iraqi information ministers.
Now he maintains that televised reports from the war zone should carry a "health warning":
"When a broadcaster says Rageh Omaar, or X, reports now from Bahgdad it's actually not wholly true, as I haven't shot the pictures because it's far too dangerous and I haven't been to the different areas because it's too dangerous."
Much of the footage viewers see has been shot by anonymous Iraqi freelancers, he says, whilst the western journalists have been held back in the protected Green Zone.
"Unless you explain those circumstances you run the danger of participating in what I think is a small fraud," he adds.
We say that no "fraud" is small.
Of course, anyone with even a GCSE in Media Studies knows that TV news footage is manipulated.
However, I share Rageh's concern that if the media don't face up to the importance of clarity they will lose what legitimacy they have, and then we may find our only sources of information are "Official Government Reports".
Which would you prefer?
Rageh Omaar: The Scud Stud aims for truth
The reporter, dubbed The Scud Stud by the New York Post, was the victim of a whispering campaign by UK Government officials concerning undue influence on his reports by Iraqi information ministers.
Now he maintains that televised reports from the war zone should carry a "health warning":
"When a broadcaster says Rageh Omaar, or X, reports now from Bahgdad it's actually not wholly true, as I haven't shot the pictures because it's far too dangerous and I haven't been to the different areas because it's too dangerous."
Much of the footage viewers see has been shot by anonymous Iraqi freelancers, he says, whilst the western journalists have been held back in the protected Green Zone.
"Unless you explain those circumstances you run the danger of participating in what I think is a small fraud," he adds.
We say that no "fraud" is small.
Of course, anyone with even a GCSE in Media Studies knows that TV news footage is manipulated.
However, I share Rageh's concern that if the media don't face up to the importance of clarity they will lose what legitimacy they have, and then we may find our only sources of information are "Official Government Reports".
Which would you prefer?
Rageh Omaar: The Scud Stud aims for truth
