War Coverage: An Embedded Reporter Lashes Out
CBS news reporter John Roberts, embedded with the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, used a recent report to lash out at "armchair quarterbacking" from journalists and retired generals who aren't traveling with the troops. Good for him! Howard Kurtz, media critic for the WaPo, has the details. It's worth noting that I've been critical of the embedded journalists program, not because of the work the embedded journalists are doing, but because news viewers who rely solely on those reports and the TV networks' endless parade of "expert" and "analyst" talking heads presents a very distorted and anecdotal view of the war. For those who truly want to know not only what is going on, but how it fits into the overall military and political strategy, I've suggested supplementing your teevee news with a number of warblogs, all of which are listed in my list of "vital blogs." Among the best: Instapundit, which links to everything good; Donald Sensing's One Hand Clapping, Command-Post, Blogs of War, Little Green Footballs, Andrew Sullivan, and the columns of David Warren and Mark Steyn. On Friday, the WaPo published a good guide to warblogs that lists a lot more.