Kevin's Story—Reporting Change

The Challenges of Reporting Change
By Kevin Fernandes

“Security in Iraq has improved since my last stay in August of 2006, but Iraq still remains an unsafe place for American reporters,” said National Public Radio’s Corey Flintoff. Flintoff spoke to an audience of about 80 on Wednesday at the USU Performance Hall.

Flintoff’s talk, “The Challenges of Reporting Change,” was based on his one month stay in Iraq, where he reported first-hand the social changes brought about by the American military.

Changes are occurring and attacks are dying down, said Flintoff. “The last time I was in Iraq I heard car bombs and gunfire on a daily basis, but in my resent one month stay in Iraq I only heard three car bombs and limited gunfire.”

Although the violence has simmered down in Iraq it is difficult for reporters to give their listeners a genuine idea of what is going on in this war. Reporters in Iraq have a limited view of what is happening because they must travel with the American military at all times and are only stationed in Iraq for a month. Therefore reporters cannot travel to people’s homes to conduct interviews or explore what is happening for themselves. This makes reporting the change in Iraq more difficult.

Reporters must remain with the military due to the dangers that can occur. Kidnapping is a major threat that reporters in Iraq face. Flintoff remembers hearing his colleagues talk about how long they think it would take for one of them to be kidnapped by Iraqi rebels. Their answer was 45 minutes. It is extremely dangerous for American reporters to cover the news in Iraq because kidnapping is very much a reality.

Flintoff recalled an American reporter by the name of Varm being kidnapped and held for ransom. Varm was snatched off the streets of Iraq, thrown into a trunk of a car and taken to an Iraqi home. He was savagely beaten and was chained to a shower stall for days. His kidnappers allowed Varm to call his family to let them know he was alive and that his life would be spared for money. The ransom was paid and Varm was released. Varm is extremely lucky because most reporters lose their lives after they have been kidnapped.

Due to the dangers of being kidnapped reporters must remain with the American military which gives them a restricted view of what is happening, which in turn gives the American people a restricted view of the Iraq War.

It is also difficult for reporters to cover the news in Iraq because of their short stay. American reporters usually stay in Iraq for about a month, said Flintoff. “After four weeks of reporting in Iraq you being to figure out how things operate, but then you’re out of there.” American reporters do not stay in Iraq for long, once they understand what is going on and how to effectively report the news they are on their way home. This makes it very challenging to report the changes that are occurring in Iraq.

Changes have occurred in Iraq, violence has gone down and security has improved. It is the duty of American reporters such as Corey Flintoff to inform the American people of these changes. However their limited view of this war due to their short stay and their restriction to independently explore Iraq has affected the reporting of change in Iraq.

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