Air Force Voices

CBS Cameraman Update

Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette has been keeping up with the CBS story. 

From CNN:

The U.S. military reported Saturday that a CBS News stringer detained after a gunbattle between U.S. forces and insurgents this month "tested positive for explosive residue." "Multinational forces continue to investigate potential collaboration between the stringer and terrorists, and allegations the stringer had knowledge of future terrorist attacks," said Sgt. John Franzen of Task Force Freedom in Mosul.

Air Force Voices agrees with Greyhawk...there are too many questions that nobody's asking...

See previous posts below.

CBS Courage?

Greyhawk has more on the arrest of a CBS Cameraman suspected of taking part in "insurgent" activities.  Here is an excerpt:

CBS News' Lee Cowan, reporting from Baghdad on the courage of the cameramen CBS uses to bring the war to your living room:

"...if they are caught carrying around an American press ID in some of the places we ask them to go they will certainly be less than popular in those places."

As Greyhawk points out:  If cameramen take part in terrorist (sorry..."insurgent") activities, then they certainly would not be welcome by weeping relatives and Iraqi civilians. 

I would add...these cameramen would also be "less than popular in those places" if they use their Press IDs to gain access to U.S. installations in order to collect intelligence for the terrorists (dang..."insurgents").  This is a huge counterintelligence problem.

I am still waiting for CBS to answer (since the public has a "right to know") questions posed by Greyhawk yesterday (see previous post).   

Aiding and abetting terrorist activity is against U.S. Policy.  CBS has some explaining to do.

More to follow.

UPDATE:  I can barely keep up with all the updates...I have to finish my research paper...anyway:

Here are other bloggers with scores of updates (HT: Mudville Gazette):

Random Probabilities (with more great insight and other links to "tendentious reporting")

ScrappleFace (with more dark humor...it is funny and scary)

RantingProfs (with an account of how widespread and dangerous the practice of using Iraqi stringers is for our troops)

Clive Davis (with a very interesting link)

Other bloggers can be found by reading this previous post. 

I'll post an update once I finish the bulk of my research paper.

UPDATE II:  Check out Power Line's latest post on a related subject...Scott Johnson takes apart the Pulitzer-winning photograph in great detail.  The post also has the following which is where the two stories converge:

Instead of denying that the photographer was on the scene because the terrorists wanted him there, the AP acknowledged that he was likely "tipped," but only to a demonstration, not to a murder. And a second AP spokesman, Jack Stokes, certainly seemed to confirm the symbiotic relationship between photographer and terrorists that Wretchard had alleged:

Several brave Iraqi photographers work for The Associated Press in places that only Iraqis can cover. Many are covering the communities they live in where family and tribal relations give them access that would not be available to Western photographers, or even Iraqi photographers who are not from the area.

Insurgents want their stories told as much as other people and some are willing to let Iraqi photographers take their pictures. It's important to note, though, that the photographers are not "embedded" with the insurgents. They do not have to swear allegiance or otherwise join up philosophically with them just to take their pictures.

Okay, break is over...back to my research paper.

Update III: CBS Cameraman Arrested in Iraq

Greyhawk has an update (see previous posts) that asks some pertinent questions. 

The media defense of their actions generally takes some form of the argument that the public has a right to know all sides of the story. Here at Mudville we couldn't agree more with that sentiment. We don't shy away from covering all aspects of the War on Terror. With that in mind, we believe the public has the right to know:

How much does CBS pay it's cameraman? Do they pay a set salary or per video provided? Or only if the video is usable by CBS?

Were any American soldiers or Iraqi citizens hurt or killed in any of the attacks videotaped by CBS' cameraman?

Does he in turn pay the terrorists - or is he simply one of them? If so, how do the surviving family members feel about CBS funding the attacks on their sons, daughters, husbands, or wives?

If not, how do the surviving family members feel about CBS paying for video of attacks on their sons, daughters, husbands, or wives?

How do CBS' advertisers feel about their money supporting this effort?

Let's hope we get some answers.

Amen brother!  These are some great questions.

Update: CBS Cameraman Arrested in Iraq

Iraqi citizens informed on CBS cameraman, leading to his arrest by coalition forces (see previous post):

Other bloggers who are carrying the story or are starting to weigh in: Austin Bay, Power Line (Power Line adds another twist), Blogs for Bush, Blithering Bunny, Hyscience, Say Anything, Military Matters, Chrenkoff, Day by Day by Chris Muir, Roger L. Simon, Instapundit, and Random Probabilities (great read and earlier post on 6 Apr). 

UPDATE II: 1000 hrs CDT....FoxNews is now carrying the story on TV.

I agree with the Fox analysts on one point...this is a big counter-intelligence problem.  Credentials do allow terrorists to gain access to sensitive locations.  This must be addressed.

However, I don't agree with Fox analyst Greer that the "insurgency" is growing.  You are just hearing the MSM/DNC herald these attacks so they can inject their worldview...again.

Thanks to all who are covering this...More later.

CBS Cameraman Arrested in Iraq

Iraqi citizens informed on CBS cameraman, leading to his arrest by coalition forces:

Greyhawk is all over this one!   Sisyphean Musings has the original post.

The Associated Press (AP) has this to say:

April 8, 2005, 2:30 PM EDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the U.S. military said Friday...

...Officials are investigating the man's previous activities as well as "his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities," the statement said.

What type of footage was this cameraman (and CBS) trying to obtain?  U.S. soldiers dying in a suicide attack?  Was CBS trying to create an Iraqi Tet?  (see previous post).  Not just CBS...the whole MSM/DNC apparatus?  Else, why try and embed with the terrorists?

Here is what CBS News has to say so far...video link here.

After watching the CBS video, I had to laugh when the reporter commented that the CBS cameraman carried an American press credential at great danger to himself. 

Yeah right...the "insurgents" know what happened in the American media after the 1968 Tet offensive.  It is called an "information war" stupid!  Images are part of enemy propaganda...which explains the Pulitzer prizes...

Pulitzer's Breaking News Photography Prize was awarded to the AP...seemingly glorifying "insurgent" activities (see Michelle Malkin's previous post)...one can only wonder what images the MSM/DNC were trying to capture and disseminate. 

But I digress...

<sarcasm>I'm sure we'll all hear more about the incident after Charles and Camilla are on their honeymoon...proof that there are always happier things to report. </sarcasm>

In the mean time, here is how Reporters Without Borders is trying to spin it (HT: Sisyphean Musings):

CBS freelance cameraman shot and wounded by US soldiers

Reporters Without Borders today called for a thorough and transparent investigation into an incident yesterday near the northern city of Mosul in which US soldiers shot and wounded a freelance cameraman working for the US television network CBS News.

"Once again the US forces have targeted a journalist just doing his job," the press freedom organization said. Reporters Without Borders pointed out that this was not the first time that US soldiers shot a cameraman after mistaking his camera for a gun.

The ghost of Easongate anyone?

Thanks to Sisyphus and Greyhawk for covering this...more to follow later.