This past Wednesday, the Foster-Foreman Conference of Distinguished Writers welcomed former CBS News correspondent, Kimberly Dozier to the stage. Dozier discussed her reporting experiences with Penn State students and faculty in attendance. She shared her traumatic experience, while reporting on the Iraq War, which inspired her book Breathing the Fire. Dozier started her presentation, by reading different passages from her book, followed by a Q&A session.During this session, Dozier shared many ethical issues she dealt with as a journalist reporting from a war zone.
One major ethical issue she was confronted with while reporting on the Iraq War was forming a friendship with the soldiers but still remaining neutral and unbiased as a journalist. Another ethical issue that Dozier focuses on during the conference is that of truth telling and the importance of fact checking and how one should never alter the truth, since you will get caught someway or another, as was the case with Stephen Glass when another journalist revealed his web of lies.
Dozier shared with the audience the many differences between reporting on a remote war versus reporting from American soil. Besides the obvious safety factor, she also expressed much importance on the neutrality of reports. While reporting on the Iraq War, she couldn’t report from the standpoint of a concerned American citizen, but instead as a journalist remaining objective. Dozier said she had to face the facts and be aware that at times the American soldiers, who she viewed as her heroic friends, since she travelled with them out of safety precautions, could sometimes also be in the wrong. Whether it was a miscalculated airstrike, or anything else, as a reporter her most important duty was to remain neutral and truthful, at all times.
“As a journalist travelling with the soldiers, you become part of the group,” Dozier said. “ But if a different news outlet would report an error in the unit, you think to yourself did I miss this because I had let them become my friends?” (Dozier, lecture, March 25, 2015). This focus on neutrality while reporting from a war zone, is what Johnson and Fahmy discuss in “Embedded Versus Unilateral Perspectives on Iraq War” The authors discuss the difference between an “embedded” journalist, who would have “directly observed the dominance of the American troops and how elated Iraqi civilians were when the Saddam forces fell.” Whilst someone who is unilateral, “witnessed the war from a distance and their stories dealt with the uncertainty and unpredictability of the war.” (Fahmy, Johnson, 2007)
This article describes Dozier’s experience as an “embedded” journalist, when patrolling with the American forces, and viewing them as friends with a dominant presence in the country. Though this travelling situation was a safety precaution, it also limited her sources, since many Iraqi locals feared the US troops and therefore would be less likely to talk to her. She compared this situation to past wars, such as the Vietnam war, when reporters were allowed to freely travel since those in combat with the US, needed journalists to tell share their stories with the public. But now, with the advancement of technology, journalist are no longer needed to share these stories, since they can easily access the internet and share their own story. So as years have gone by, journalist have transformed from being a means of communication to becoming a kidnapping target, since it shocks and scares those back in their country of origin, yet little can be done to stop this other than making them travel with the troops.
The other ethical issue, Dozier discussed was that of truth telling and the importance this factor plays with readers and fellow journalist. She described that while reporting from a warzone, journalist who are also reporting from the same area discusses each other’s articles, and recent events occurring in that war zone. Thus, if one of them were to lie, and alternate the truth to dramatize events, it would quickly become known. So, if a journalist were to lie, not only would it ruin his/her authenticity, it would also damage the reputation of the news organization. Dozier described this journalistic responsibility as “you’re as much reporting for your colleagues as you are for the American people.” (Dozier, lecture, March 25, 2015). This notion of truth and the importance it carries, is also presented in the Code of Ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists. This reads, “Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” (Code of Ethics, 1996)
Listening to Dozier and her experience in the field was both inspiring and helpful. In class we had previously discussed both ethical issues, but listening to her and her first hand account on reporting on the Iraq War, helped formed a better idea of what “embedded” journalists represented. Its understandable how in those situations of life and death, one could lose their professional objectivity on the US troops you travel with. But listening to Dozier emphasize the importance of both objectivity and truth seeking, shows her true passion in journalism, no matter what the situation is. And listening to her incredible stories in such terrifying situations, inspires me as a journalist to do the same and never lose the trust of you readers, at all cost.
References
Fahmy, S., & Johnson, T. (2007). Embedded Versus Unilateral Perspectives on Iraq War.Newspaper Research Journal, 28(3), 98,99-98,99. Retrieved March 25, 2015, fromhttps://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=Embedded Versus Unilateral Perspectives on Iraq War&btnG=&as_sdt=1,39&as_sdtp=
Dozier, K. (2015, March 25) Foster Foreman Conference of Distinguished Writers Lecture
Seek Truth and Report It. (1996). In Code of Ethics. Indianapolis: Society of Professional Journalists.