In today's VG, embedded reporters Kim Riseth and Harald Henden praises the American battalion they're with for its attitude towards the media:

There's an amazing openness. Every soldier says whatever they like about what they think and feel. We sit in meetings with the leadership of the battalion, and receive the same information as they do, at the same time. I can't imagine a Norwegian company which would be as open to media attempting to do a report about their business. And this is a relatively controversial business, where mistakes are quite serious. [..] Among other things, they told us about an oil pipeline that had been destroyed by accident.

Riseth and Henden's seems to be about the only original Norwegian reporting from Iraq that's any good at the moment. They stick to telling just plain interesting stories as seen from the ground, without that compulsive need to put everything in perspective. Perspective is fine, but worthless unless you have something to, you know, put in perspective. One can watch some of these 24/7 channels for hours without learning the details of any actual news. So heads up for some old-fashioned low-ego reporting from the inside of a military force at war.

Butbutbbuttt, I thought the embeds were just brainwashed (and unwashed) tools of the American military-industrial-media hegemony in collusion with a bunch of sauna-loving, norwegian oil-men who were once in bed with Bush Senior..

silly me :-)

Poor guys, I wonder what the deprogramming will entail when they return?

Americans will one day rule the world, including your pathetic little country. We will make you say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. Be careful what you say now - we are watching you and when you are Americans (you will love our way of life!) those who have said unpatriotic words will either be imprisoned or will pay a higher liberation tax to the U.S. native citizens. Resistance is futile. Surrender now.

George Butcher: Because there are currently voices on the left that are beyond charicature regarding their stupidity and ignorance regarding the war it makes it difficult to assume that a post such as yours is obviously ironic or not. The U.S. will not take over Norway. For one thing Norway's oil reserves are close to running out.

The Pentagon certainly made the right move in embedding reporters with the troops. So far, the benefits have far outweighed the downside. It's hard to argue with facts coming straight from the frontlines...

According to a story covered by a veteran BBC reporter in the weeks previous to the war, the Pentagon had threatened reporters' lives and told them exactly what it was that they could and could not cover.

Ghost: That's a good example of how far the BBC goes to distort the truth. No wonder they call it the Baghdad Broadcasting Corp here in the US.

While in Finland last year, I got attuned to the message the BBC broadcast to the world. I was amazed how my fellow Finns bought their point of view completely. I tried to point out exactly where the spin to stories was applied - where exactly a certain word choice was made which gave a story a slant instead of being left neutral. But the BBC has a lot of cachet in Finland, and Europe. Though Finns could agree that there was a slant, it was the BBC, after all, that was saying it, and they therefore have a certain amount of authority...

My strategy then was to compare the BBC to Finland's STT News show. I pointed out that the STT sticks to facts very well (I'm actually quite impressed by that; STT might be the most factual news service I've ever seen). The Finns appreciated my appreciation: STT appeals to the stoic, factual nature of the Finns.

But STT is incredibly staid and dull, without the pizzazz of BBC and other foreign news services. So naturally STT will lose some to the more flashy BBC interpretations of the world.

Thanks for that insightful comment! It makes interesting reading, especially when I need a payday advance .

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PapaScott: Children's Stories, March 30, 2003 09:06 PM

I've been refraining commenting on the war since it started, since I'm assuming that 90% of what the media is reporting is wrong and I don't know which 10% is...