Media: AP - Still Covering the World

by Sherry Ricchiardi (AJR, 2007/12-2008/1)

As U.S. news organizations have backed away from foreign news coverage, the Associated Press’ international report has become increasingly vital.

The rest of the story: The American Journalism Review

The Job: News deaths hit an all-time high

by Roy Greenslade (The Guardian, 2007-11-29)

At least 171 journalists and other news media staff have died as a result of their work around the world so far this year, making 2007 the bloodiest year on record for the industry.

With more than a month still to go before the end of the year, the all-time high of 168 deaths recorded in 2006 was exceeded on Tuesday when at least three editorial staff were killed in Sri Lanka during a military air strike on a radio station.

"This horrible statistic should be regarded as a low point in the safety and welfare of the media profession. We need better protection for media workers worldwide," said the president of the International News Safety Institute (INSI), Chris Cramer.

According to INSI's casualty records, the death toll between January 1 and November 28 is comprised of 142 journalists and 29 support staff, such as drivers, translators and news technicians, in 35 countries.

The great majority, 121, were apparently murdered after being targeted because of their jobs. Fifteen died in crossfire or other random attacks, 34 were killed in road or air accidents while the circumstances of one death remain unclear.

The most murderous country again was Iraq, where 64 died, taking the total news media toll since the start of the war to at least 235. Others were Sri Lanka (six murders), Afghanistan, Mexico, India and Philippines (five each) and Haiti, Pakistan and Somalia (four each).

The rest of the story: The Guardian

Iraq: AP Chief Slams Case Against Iraqi Photographer

by Lily Hindy (AP, 2007-11-24)

The U.S. military's plan to seek a criminal case against an Associated Press photographer in Iraq without disclosing the charges or evidence against him makes a mockery of American democratic principles, AP President and CEO Tom Curley said Saturday.

"This is a poor example—and not the first of its kind—of the way our government honors the democratic principles and values it says it wants to share with the Iraqi people," Curley said in a column in The Washington Post.

The U.S. military notified the AP last weekend that it intended to submit a complaint against Bilal Hussein that would bring the case into the Iraqi justice system as early as Nov. 29....

"At long last, prize-winning Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein may get his day in court....We believe Bilal's crime was taking photographs the U.S. government did not want its citizens to see. That he was part of a team of AP photographers who had just won a Pulitzer Prize for work in Iraq may have made Bilal even more of a marked man."

The rest of the story: Breitbart.com

Follow Up: AP Fires Back, Says Its Probe Clears Iraqi Photog (E&P)

Editor & Publisher, 2007-11-21

A series of accusations raised by the U.S. military against an Associated Press photographer detained for 19 months in Iraq are false or meaningless, according to an intensive AP investigation of the case made public Wednesday.

Evidence and testimony collected by the AP shows no support for allegations that Bilal Hussein took part in insurgent activities or bomb-making, and few of the images he provided dealt directly with Iraqi insurgents.

"Despite the fact that Hussein has not been interrogated since May 2006, allegations have been dropped or modified over time, and new claims added, all without any explanation," said the 48-page report compiled by lawyer and former federal prosecutor Paul Gardephe.

The rest of the story: Editor & Publisher

Our Media Lapdogs: At White House behest, NYTimes sat on scoop

by Michael Calderone (Politico, 2007-11-20)

When the New York Times published a front page story Sunday about the United States’ and Pakistan’s joint clandestine efforts to protect nuclear weapons, the newspaper offered a glimpse into a “highly classified program” the Bush administration long objected to seeing in print.

That is, apparently, until now.

In the article’s 11th paragraph, the Times disclosed that publication was delayed “for more than three years,” after the administration argued “that premature disclosure could hurt the effort to secure the weapons.”

So after several years, and previous objection, why did the piece now come off the shelf?

Times executive editor Bill Keller did not respond to several requests for comment about what influenced his decision to now publish the piece.

The rest of the story: Politico

The Free Press: AP Lawyers Will Go to Iraq Next Week to Defend Photographer (E&P)

Press Group Raises Concerns

by Joe Strupp (Editor & Publisher, 2007-11-21)

Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll believes AP photographer Bilal Hussein, who finally may be charged with unspecified alleged terrorist crimes in Iraq, can get a fair trial there.

But she stressed that the U.S. military's failure to provide AP with specific information or evidence related to charges may well hamper efforts to mount a defense and ultimately free Hussein, whom AP contends is innocent.

"I have no reason to think the Iraqi court system will be anything but fair and impartial," Carroll told E&P a day after AP revealed charges had been brought. "But they can only be impartial about what is presented to them. If one side has evidence and the other side doesn't know what it is, how can we defend Bilal? They have told our lawyers they will find out specifics when the complaint is filed next week."

Carroll's comments come a day after Hussein, 36, who has been held by U.S. and Iraqi military officials in Baghdad since April 2006, received word that the U.S. military planned to seek a criminal complaint against him. An AFP report late Monday stated the complaint accused Hussein of being "a terrorist media operative" who had "infiltrated the AP."

Dave Tomlin, AP associate general counsel, said such language is not new, noting the military had used such vague phrasing for months to describe Hussein, but without substantial evidence or specific incidents that have not been refuted.

"We continue not to have heard anything that would be grounds for a charge," Tomlin said. "What is new this week is that after months of stonewalling, they propose on less than two weeks notice to drag him into a court room."

The rest of the story: Editor & Publisher

Justice: Respected Marine Lawyer Alleges Military Injustices

A long profile by Daniel Zwerdling of Colby Vokey, the Marine Corps' top defense attorney, "pulled out of his position because he's doing too good a job....the people in Washington, D.C., don't like that." (NPR, 2007-10-30)