Cablegate: Media Reaction War with Iraq; Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 000604

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
NAC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE

1. Under headline "Coverage of Iraq war raises
questions" the government-controlled daily "The
Herald" dedicated its March 25 editorial to urging
journalists, especially those from the electronic
media, covering the United States-led war against Iraq
to be impartial. Excerpts:

2. ". . .The Americans were very angry about the
showing of the U.S. POWs on the world's television
screens, although quiet about live footage of Iraqis
actually surrendering and not quite being POWs until
that surrender had been officially accepted. So while
technically the American journalists were just legal
while the Iraqi authorities were in breach of the
Geneva conventions, the tiny difference is immaterial
to those who were photographed.

".It has already become obvious that the U.S.
and British television coverage of the invasion
of Iraq is far more one-sided than most editors
of those television networks would desire. It
has also been noticeable that the written
reportage from the great news agencies, both
those based in `coalition' countries and those
outside, has been far more analytical and made
far more effort to try and see the larger story."

SULLIVAN

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