Reuters says U.S. troops obstruct reporting of Iraq

[highplainsdem]

http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L28327739

Reuters says U.S. troops obstruct reporting of Iraq
Wed 28 Sep 2005 7:11 AM ET
By Barry Moody

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The conduct of U.S. troops in Iraq, including increasing detention and accidental shootings of journalists, is preventing full coverage of the war reaching the American public, Reuters said on Wednesday.

In a letter to Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reuters said U.S. forces were limiting the ability of independent journalists to operate. The letter from Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger called on Warner to raise widespread media concerns about the conduct of U.S. troops with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is due to testify to the committee on Thursday.

Schlesinger referred to "a long parade of disturbing incidents whereby professional journalists have been killed, wrongfully detained, and/or illegally abused by U.S. forces in Iraq."

-snip-

He said most of these detentions had been prompted by legitimate journalistic activity such as possessing photographs and video of insurgents, whichU.S. soldiers assumed showed sympathy with the insurgency.

-snip-


Very disturbing article, and well worth reading in its entirety. It'll be interesting to see Warner's response -- and Rumsfeld's.