Military Reality TV
War gives you an adrenaline rush. Being shot at, hearing a bullet whistle close by, surviving. For as long as your body chemistry holds up it's a very intense life. I knew plenty of journalists in Bosnia who were war junkies, some less sensible than others. Some moved from war to war. NBC's Richard Engel is that type of journalist. The problem is he's too young, his judgment is lousy, and he gets other people killed. I was more than a little bothered by his reports last week from Afghanistan, embedded with Viper Company in the Korengal Valley.
Who can say for sure, but it seemed to me at a distance that a young U.S. Army Captain wanted to put on a show for the visiting hot-shot, newly promoted NBC Chief Foreign Correspondent. So the Captain sets out some of his men as bait for the Taliban. A fire fight ensues. Everything goes to hell, one soldier is killed (friendly fire is involved) and a few are wounded. All recorded and broadcast on NBC. Maybe it helps ratings, but I don't know what you can call it other than war porn.
NBC should be ashamed but, more importantly, the Army should investigate seriously and, probably, discipline the Captain responsible.
Posted by George Kenney on October 25, 2008 4:22 AM 
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Comments
Your post came down my feedreader just as I was writing about John D. McHugh's reportage on Afghanistan for the Guardian.
McHugh's been likewise embedded with a US unit, but for a 6-month tour, rather than just a week or two.
While the objectivity of any embedded reporter is highly debatable, I think McHugh makes an honest effort to show a wider view of the conflict than just the explosions and the shooting. It's an interesting contrast to the NBC coverage, which focuses on purely war-fighting.
I hope you're wrong that the army Captain mounted an attack for the benefit of the cameras, but ambition and hubris can cloud better judgment.
Posted by: Richard | October 25, 2008 8:49 AM