Press missing stories in Iraq

CBS Foreign Affairs Correspondent Kimberly Dozier discussed her experiences in Iraq and her book “Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Report and Surive the war in Iraq” at the Brookings Institution. On Memorial Day 2006 a car bomb nearly killed Dozier in Baghdad when she was on assignment.

Dozier said she encountered many obstacles while reporting in Iraq. She explained that her reports were criticized initially for being too hard on the US military, only to be told after the 2006 election that her stories were not as tough as they should have been. ABC White House Correspondent Martha Raddatz echoed Dozier’s statement that there are still not enough journalists in Iraq and that many stories are not produced due to a lack of manpower.

General Peter Chiarelli said the press plays an important role in Iraq but that it is sometimes too voracious in its quest for news stories. He said it is difficult to diffuse news stories once they are on the wire, recalling an exaggerated piece that overshadowed the seating of the Iraqi legislature. Chiarelli also stated that communication issues are a large problem in Iraq and that the military must undergo a change that places language and cultural education as higher priorities.