[icernet] IFJ condemns US-led armed forces in Iraq over "unacceptable discrimination" on media

[Arul Selvan]

  The International Federation of Journalists today joined broadcasters 
in protesting over "unacceptable discrimination" and restrictions being 
imposed on journalists covering the war in Iraq when they are not 
travelling with army units of the United States or Britain. Reports from 
journalists in southern Iraq say that media staff who are not part of 
the so-called "embedded" group of reporters travelling under the 
official protection of the military are being forcibly removed.

"This is unacceptable discrimination against independent journalism at a 
time when the pace of war is quickening and reporters are striving to 
bring millions of people coverage from the front lines," said Aidan 
White, General Secretary of the IFJ.  The IFJ says that military control 
of the media is unacceptable. The Federation is supporting the protests 
of individual broadcasters and the European Broadcasting Union, which 
today condemned the actions of the US military, saying it was apparently 
directed against so-called "unilateral" journalists working around the 
battlefronts who are not assigned to specific army units.

The IFJ is particularly concerned at reports that the military forces 
are singling out groups of journalists who are from countries that are 
not part of the coalition in support of the war. The IFJ estimates that 
around 3,000 journalists are working in the region, with only about 600 
officially travelling with the armed forces. The Federation says that 
journalists will not tolerate military attempts to stop them from 
working and that could lead some of them to take more risks.  "We 
already have a number of journalists who are casualties," said White, 
"and there may be more dangers ahead if journalists have to find ways of 
circumventing attempts to stop them from working." The IFJ says four 
journalists have died, a dozen injured and some are still missing. The 
IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.

Source:
http://electroniciraq.net/news/547.shtml