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EBU protests against
reporting restrictions in southern Iraq
Geneva, 2 April 2003 -The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today protested against
the restrictions introduced by the US Central Command in
Doha, Qatar on newsgathering in Southern Iraq.
“US
Central Command policy is now actively restricting independent
newsgathering from Southern Iraq,” EBU Secretary General
Jean Stock said in a statement. “Reporters and camera
crews who put their lives at risk have been detained by
American and British troops and returned to Kuwait.”
Mr Stock said that this treatment
appeared to be aimed in particular at organizations from
countries which had chosen not to participate in the American-led
coalition. "As a result journalists are now exposed
to a much greater risk and the coalition policy targets
the quality of their reporting,” he said.
The EBU welcomed the initial decision
by US Central Command to allow journalists to “embed” with
military units, and saw that move as an important contribution
to newsgathering about the conflict. On the other hand,
the EBU noted that this allowed only a small number of European
broadcasters to report directly on the conflict. Others
had to report from the sidelines, mainly from Kuwait City.
These broadcasters were therefore
limited to either relying on third party news sources or
to sending their crews as so-called “unilaterals” into Iraq.
Those unilaterals were now being turned away by British
and American troops and forcibly returned to Kuwait, Mr
Stock said. As a result camera crews had to work almost
clandestinely and faced a much higher risk in the area.
“We have independent information
that broadcasters can work safely in many areas, so we
do not understand why the military is putting so many obstacles
in the path of journalists,” head of news Tony Naets
said. “They have created a caste system with embedded
journalists - usually from countries in the so-called coalition
who can associate with the troops - and the truly unilateral
broadcaster who is prevented from coming anywhere near the
news.”
Contact:
Tony Naets, Head, Eurovision News
Services
Tel.: +41 (22) 717 2831, Fax.: +41 (22) 747 4831, e-mail:
naets@eurovision.net
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