For background see:
Steve Weissman | Dead Messengers: How the US Military Targets Journalists •
Also see below:
Journalists Seek Info on 2003 Iraq Deaths •
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US Military: Cameraman with CBS Credentials Detained in Iraq
The Associated Press
Saturday 09 April 2005
Baghdad - A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the US military said Friday, while the network issued a statement saying it was investigating the incident.
The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between US soldiers and suspected insurgents, and was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the military said.
The military issued a statement at the time saying the cameraman was shot because his equipment was mistaken for a weapon. But on Friday, the military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces."
"He is currently detained and will be processed as any other security detainee," the military said.
In a statement released Friday, CBS News said the man had worked as a freelancer for CBS for three months and that he was videotaping for the network when he was shot.
"It is common practice in Iraq for Western news organizations to hire local cameramen in places considered too dangerous for Westerners to work effectively. The very nature of their work often puts them in the middle of very volatile situations," the statement said.
"CBS News continues to investigate the situation, and when more information becomes available, we will report it."
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Journalists Seek Info on 2003 Iraq Deaths
The Associated Press
Friday 08 April 2005
Brussells, Belgium - The International Federation of Journalists on Friday urged US officials to provide credible evidence American troops did not intentionally kill two television cameramen at a Baghdad hotel in 2003.
The two were killed April 8, 2003, when an American tank fired at the Palestine Hotel, where scores of journalists were based during the US invasion of Iraq. US officials insist the soldiers believed they were being shot at when they opened fire.
Jose Couso, cameraman for Spanish television network Telecinco, and Taras Protsyuk, Ukrainian TV cameraman for Reuters, were killed by the US tank.
But critics say the journalists were targeted by US troops moving in on Baghdad, and the IFJ said Friday a report on the killings was a "whitewash."
In a letter to President Bush, IFJ General Secretary Aidan White wrote, "the United States stands accused of failing to meet its obligations to deliver justice and fair treatment to the victims of violence by its own soldiers."
Following the Palestine incident, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell said American troops opened fire after drawing hostile fire from the hotel. He said a US review of the incident found the of force was justified.
Based in Brussels, the IFJ is an umbrella group that brings together journalists' unions in over 100 nations. It claims to represent more than 500,000 media professionals.
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