Bullets vs. Speeding Journalists

I am grinding my teeth on this one, so this will be short and to the point.

I was livid today as I read the top headline for the Oregonian today (Patrick Quinn, AP)..."US bullets greet freed hostage." In the fifth paragraph, about a quarter inch from being sent to page A6, the article finally says..."The US military said the car was speeding as it approached a coalition checkpoint in western Baghdad at 8:55pm, It said soldiers shot into the engine block only after trying to warn the driver to stop by 'hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots'." It would seem to me, that a "fair" presentation of the story would be to carry part of this clarification in the first paragraph and mitigate the headline somewhat with something like..."Checkpoint incident under investigation, freed journalist injured." Oh, I am sorry, that doesn't sell enough newspapers.

I must also report, in all fairness that the O did run a story today about a large weapons cache that a local NG unit uncovered with some great work...oh, I forgot to mention...below the fold with a header that was a yawner, and the font size was about 1/2 that of the one at the top of the page.

Here's the issue...I want all reporter types to get this...I do not want ONE GI injured because they take any "extra" precautions because of, or for, journalists. I would not be sending one of my Marines home in a body bag...a Marine who might be your son, daughter, neighbor, brother, friend, etc...because they hesitated for one second, while a car rushed their checkpoint in the dark. My Marines would not take a car bomb in the lips because some journalist felt that established procedures do not apply to those who carry pencils.

Now the press will dredge up every friendly fire incident of the war, they will dredge up the EA-6B incident of ten years ago...all for what? To add perspective to a story that they have already chosen to slant? I cannot make this more clear...the bottom half of today's O was designed to sell papers to moms and dads of soldiers...the top half was to slander them and their efforts. We need to quit buying their papers, and quit giving them access. They have chosen to side with a communist journalist that was putting our troops in danger....could it be any more clear?

Carrying a pencil does not make you special or bulletproof. I am not listening to the belly-aching about this incident. Our guys used their guns because they HAD to...they had no idea who was in the car...no apologies necessary. And certainly, none coming from me.