Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

The problem with the weather getting so cold after it's been beautiful and warm is that you're always underdressed.

You were used to wearing winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves and then it's so warm you don't even need a jacket.

From that point on, it seems unfair to go back to winter dress. You might reluctantly throw on your sweater or a jacket, but you don't want to pull out the winter coat again. It feels like defeat.

And if you do decide to pull out the winter coat, you don't want to go all out with the hat, gloves and scarf.

So here I am, underdressed even in a winter coat and scarf, because I should also have on a sweater and my hat and gloves, too. This officially sucks.

It wouldn't be so frustrating if it hadn't seemed as if winter was over. A few weeks ago, it was so beautiful my dog was shedding and I was wearing only a light jacket.

This would probably explain my cold. Either that or it's frequented smoky places more often of late. For example, a blues bar in State College with my sister.

Whatever its source, the cold (and the cold medicine) make it hard to think, so I'm going to finish with some thoughts from a week ago about coverage of Blood for Oil II, which seems drawing to an end, with rumors flying once more that Saddam Hussein has been bombed and killed. This is the second time this happened in this war, so we've only got about seven left.

One thing I hated about being a daily news reporter was feeling as if we were on call 24 hours a day. I always had a camera and notepad in the truck and I just couldn't make myself drive by something like a fire, because I knew if I did, I'd regret it the next day when I was scooped. But I hated this because it took so much of my energy and my time that I didn't feel I had any time for other creative work.

And while I got a lot of enjoyment out of some of the interviews I did and out of writing my weekly column, the breaking news really got me down. So I just can't imagine the kind of dedication that it takes to be an embedded journalist in Iraq. Watching these stories come in and knowing a little bit about what it takes to do on-the-scene reporting, I have tremendous respect for how these reporters just keep going. No matter what is going on around them, they find ways to address the technical problems and to keep the story going.

But to also be in physical danger, this is a kind of dedication I just can't fathom. I guess this is why I opt for the feature/entertainment reporter gig. I don't have mortars flying around me or enemy soldiers firing at me, so I can't complain.

And I'm also struck by the fact that, more often than not, these journalists, while inextricably connected to the fate of their unit, are also maintaining objectivity. Time and again, they will marvel at how amazing it is that they're getting the information out as it's happening. They're caught up in the exhilaration of the scoop, to be quite honest.

I know what that's like. When I worked at a small town newspaper, I went head-to-head against a real pro in my beat who'd been around for years and who knew all the ins and outs. It really was a terrific feeling, hard to describe to those who haven't experienced it, when I scooped her. Kind of like hitting the winning run in the ninth inning of the World Series. But better.

My favorite anchor right now is CNN's Aaron Brown, who is anchoring the late night hours at CNN. It's a different gig than his regular Newsnight program, which is very well planned out. He rolls with the punches, although he doesn't feel any need to cover up his mistakes. He's not afraid to ask his director, "Is this where you want me? Is this what you wanted me to do?"

Brown is absolutely fascinated by the worldwide coverage of this event and seems to enjoy breaking things down with commentators and asking questions you don't normally hear during the daytime about how things are playing out. If Peter Arnette had made his critical comments of the coalition war effort to Brown instead of to Iraqi television, he'd still be working for NBC News.

In contrast, CNN's Lou Dobbs, whose Moneyline program — like all of CNN's regular programs — has by default become another outlet for breaking Iraq news, gets extremely discomfited when something doesn't go right. He apologizes profusely to the viewers f0r problems with sound and video from the front lines. I do, however, like the fact that he always announces the name of the camera people and crew people who are embedded along with the journalists. It's easy to forget they're over there, in danger, too.

Heidi Collins, who previously only hosted a weekend show and filled in as anchor occasionally, has been pulling extra shifts, testing her limits. And in the middle of all this, CNN fires Connie Chung. I'm sure the staff was thrilled, knowing they couldn't count on another experienced anchor to help split up the work. CNN claimed her tabloid style program, which quite frankly featured some of the most professional and well-researched interviews on the air, no longer fit with the network's new direction under Ted Turner. Their loss, I'm afraid. She and Phil Donahue should put their heads together and come up with a network program so powerful that the cable networks will spank themselves for ever having given them up.

MSNBC is so well-regimented in their war coverage that it's clear they were very well prepared for this. But also, it helps to be able to call on all the resources of a huge multimedia conglomerate. This allows some exposure for correspondents and anchors who were rarely seen before.

Keith Olbermann, whose voice, if not his face, is a dead ringer for Lester Holt, has been anchoring some of the evening time slots. While he can be overly formal, he's absolutely unruffled by anything that happens.

Of course, MSNBC is day-by-day skewing more conservative and they have increasingly referred to the war by the military name, Operation Iraqi Freedom. CNN varies between calling it that and simply "the war in Iraq." FOX News, of course, picked up on the government name immediately and has called it nothing but that.

Personally, I think the word "war" has to be in there; call it what it is. I don't think the civilians having their windows busted out by bombs, or seeing their family members killed or horribly mutilated think of this as an "operation." But I digress.

MSNBC's breakout reporter, nicknamed "Bunker Buster" David Bloom, died of a pulmonary embolism this past weekend, bringing home the sobering reality of the conflict. Not only is it difficult to hear about the death of somebody who'd put a face to the war, but it also brings home the tragedy of any death that happens in Iraq, whether combat-related or not.

FOX News, after a week or so of throwing over its regular programming for round-the-clock breaking news coverage, has returned the time slots to their regular programs, though every show still focuses on the conflict. If Elizabeth Smart hadn't been discovered until now, it would have barely made a bubble in the news coverage.

Now that the war is taking place, Alan Colmes from the point-counterpoint type show, Hannity & Colmes has become almost indistinguishable from his conservative partner, Sean Hannity. Using the excuse that "it's not my place to criticize while there are lives at stake," Colmes has been letting his true colors out. He'd always been a somewhat anemic, pseudo-liberal commentator, but now his place as the "token liberal," a.k.a. Uncle Tom, on the massively conservative FOX NEWS is clear. He even leaped in and said, "Don't insult my partner" when a guest tried to get tough with host Sean Hannity. It was embarrassing.

I must admit, though, to a guilty pleasure: the live reports by Colonel Oliver North, embedded with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He comes at this assignment from a unique position, with years of military experience, and his relaxed delivery and his easy rapport with the troops is refreshing. It gives the viewer a glimpse of how the troops are dealing with what must be a tense and terrible experience: through humor and camaraderie. His reports are a welcome "slice of life," and he often points out the details that other networks ignore, such as the fact that Ba'ath Party officials are now being targeted by civilians. It will be fascinating to see what he does with the footage afterwards, since he's promising to put together a documentary on the war.

Many antiwar protesters have complained about all the former generals appearing on the cable news channels, offering insight into the conflict. As someone familiar with the news biz, I must admit these generals' input is essential. It would be a good counterpoint, though, to bring on more civilian commentators who could speak about such topics as humanitarian and political issues.

Overall, I think that, given the extraordinary pressures and scheduling issues of an ongoing war, the cable news channels have been doing a great job with their coverage. There seems to be a sense of "we're all in this together," with the networks working in tandem with other global news agencies such as Abu Dhabi Television or with the British ITN News in order to provide a more complete picture. And I was touched when CNN's Howard Kurtz put together a special edition of "Reliable Sources" to pay tribute to David Bloom. Truly, in this kind of a situation, it doesn't matter what flag is on their mic, what network gives them their check. War correspondents are a band of brothers (and sisters).

When the dust settles, I'm sure there will be endless opining and evaluating of the news coverage, both by critics and by network execs who will retool assignments based on what happened in the face of crisis. But while they're in the thick of it, they're all doing everything they can to keep the news coming. It's not something I could do, and I honor and praise them all.

Moral:
Anyone can be a news reporter, but add sand storms, blackouts and bombs and you've got yourself a news hero.

Copyright 2003 by Alyce Wilson

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