by Henk Ruyssenaars

FPF - Feb. 19th 2005 - ''Recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Eason Jordan, a CNN executive, told a panel that the U.S. military deliberately targeted journalists in Iraq.

He said he "knew of about 12 journalists who had not only been killed by American troops, but had been targeted as a matter of policy," said Rep. Barney Frank (Dem) from Massachusetts who was on the panel with Jordan.

"When we hear this statement with the knowledge that 63 journalists have been killed in Iraq, in addition to the fact that in a 14-month-period, more journalists were killed in Iraq than during the entire Vietnam War, one begins to get the feeling that the military clampdown on the media is more than a myth or a conspiracy theory'', Baghdad correspondent Dahr Jamail wrote.

Some time ago the BBC's Kate Adie* openly said the Pentagon c.s. was out to kill 'un american' journalists, and gave an interview concerning those 'friendly fire' killings of her colleagues.

" The BBC's chief news correspondent became one of the best-known faces on television for her reporting from the major wars of recent years. They include the Gulf War, the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, China and Sierra Leone."

When Kate Adie correctly criticized Blair's BBC, concerning the spreading of war propaganda, she was fired. The BBC broadcasted only two percent of dissent concerning the war in Iraq, which was still lower than the govern't's propaganda spouting ABC in the US.

In the interview Kate Adie said that the Pentagon c.s. threatened to kill journalists in Iraq which did not follow the official american propaganda line; like Adie wasn't willing to do anymore.

In the interview with Irish radio, Ms. Adie said the Pentagon had threatened to fire on the satellite uplink positions of independent journalists in Iraq, and - questioned about the consequences of such potentially fatal actions -a senior Pentagon officer had said:

"Who cares.. ..They've been warned."

According to Ms. Adie, who twelve years ago covered the last Gulf War, the Pentagon attitude is: "entirely hostile to the the free spread of information."

"I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs, "she told Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show."

Ms. Adie made the startling revelations during a discussion of media freedom issues in the likely upcoming war in Iraq. She also warned that the Pentagon is vetting journalists according to their stance on the war, and intends to take control of US journalists' satellite equipment --in order to control access to the
airwaves.

Another guest on the show - the very well known - war author Phillip Knightley, reported that the Pentagon has also threatened they: "may find it necessary to bomb areas in which war correspondents are attempting to report from the Iraqi side."

The conversation was as follows from the transcript:
Tom McGurk:

" Now, Kate Adie, you join us from the BBC in London. Thank you very much for going to all this trouble on a Sunday morning to come and join us.

I suppose you are watching with a mixture of emotions this war beginning to happen, because you are not going to be covering it."

Kate Adie:

" Oh I will be. And what actually appalls me is the difference between twelve years ago and now. I've seen a complete erosion of any kind of acknowledgment that reporters should be able to report as they witness."

" The Americans... and I've been talking to the Pentagon ...take the attitude which is entirely hostile to the free spread of information."

" I was told by a senior officer in the Pentagon, that if uplinks --that is the television signals out of... Bhagdad, for example-- were detected by any planes ...electronic media... mediums, of the military above Bhagdad... they'd be fired down on. Even if they were journalists ..

' Who cares! ' he said.. [inaudible] .."

Tom McGurk:

"...Kate ...sorry Kate ..just to underline that. Sorry to interrupt you. Just to explain for our listeners. Uplinks is where you have your own satellite telephone method of distributing information."

Kate Adie:

" The telephones and the television signals."

Tom McGurk:

" And they would be fired on? "

Kate Adie:

" Yes. They would be 'targeted down,' said the officer."

Tom McGurk: " Extraordinary ! "

Kate Adie: " Shameless! "

He said: ' Well... they know this ...they've been warned.'

This is threatening freedom of information, before you even get to a war.

The second thing is there was a massive news blackout imposed.

In the last Gulf war, where I was one of the pool correspondents with the British Army. We effectively had very, very light touch when it came to any kind of censorship.

We were told that anything which was going to endanger troops lives which we understood we shouldn't broadcast. But other than that, we were relatively free.

Unlike our American colleagues, who immediately left their pool, after about 48 hours, having just had enough of it.

And this time the Americans are: a) Asking journalists who go with them, whether they are... have feelings against the war. And therefore if you have views that are skeptical, then you are not to be acceptable.

Secondly, they are intending to take control of the Americans technical equipment ...those uplinks and satellite phones I was talking about. And control access to the airwaves.

And then on top of everything else, there is now a blackout - (which was imposed, during the last war, at the beginning of the war), ...ordered by one Mr. Dick Cheney, who is in charge of this.

I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs.

You will get it later.

[ end BBC-Kate Adie ]

BBC Kate Adie on colleague killings- Story Url.:  http://www.gulufuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm

AND HERE IS ONE WAY IT CAN BE DONE :

Excerpt: "Tony Tether, director of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, said Wednesday that the Pentagon also will use in Iraq a new electronic detection device that could help pinpoint cell phones or pagers, which sometimes are used to detonate homemade bombs aimed at U.S. troops.

"They're not going to be 100 percent solutions," he said, but if they help even a little bit they may slow the anti-American resistance in Iraq." [ end quote]

US-Mil. - Url: http-//tinyurl.com/3d2xx

So, if you are against killing people, better watch out you're not killed by fire from your 'friends' and allies!

HR

Who is ? BBC - Kate Adie - Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/79lz

Bush at imperial work - Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/6gat5

Bush in his role as undertaker -
Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/689ko

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FOREIGN PRESS FOUNDATION
 http://tinyurl.com/4ar5e
Editor : Henk Ruyssenaars
 http://tinyurl.com/5uvtv
The Netherlands
 FPF@Chello.nl

The Dutch author this far has worked abroad 4 decades for international media as a foreign correspondent, of which 10 years - also during Gulf War I - in the Arab World and the Middle East. At present 'Persona non Grata' in Holland :-)

Seeing worldwide that every bullet and every bomb breeds more terrorism! - What Bush stands for? Graves! - Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/689ko - US Senator Hollings agrees: 'We have caused more terrorism than we have gotten rid of' - Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/2bqza

Former PM Wim Kok and other Dutch Govt's war criminals in Court: - Url.:  http://tinyurl.com/662pp - It can and must be done!

Help the troops come home! Url.:  http://www.bringemhome.org - We need them badly to fight our so called 'governments': Url.:  http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/

HR

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