So much for responsible journalists waiting for official info...
Personal experience shows that cooperation of the press with requests for delays in reporting is directly related to closeness of the events to the press in question, and to the press' approval of the actions and the agency taking those actions.
Police matters in the "hometown" nearly always (with a few glaring exceptions) get full cooperation, but military operations overseas which the press in question already oppose (such as is currently the case) rarely get such consideration.
This is from 8 years on active USMC service, and 17 subsequent years of interested and close observation.
Yes, many of the embedded/"frontline" media are responsible and careful in their reporting, but most of what hits the headlines are written by home-office jerks (writers & editors) who let their personal views regulate their coverage. Those embedded types usually only get their stuff published in the "back-page follow-up" sections (or late-night analysis shows on the telly).
And yes, I still remember the BEEB reports from early in OIF on the "bloodthirsty USAF planes bombing schools & hospitals"... which was proven wrong when the ground forces went in.
Did the BEEB apologize or even issue a retraction? No, they just claimed "it still happened, the US must have bribed/intimidated the locals into staying quiet"!
Last edited by GreenKnight121; 4th Sep 2006 at 04:39.