------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 12:34:30 -0700 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Sid Shniad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: REPORTER REPRIMANDED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH THE VANCOUVER SUN TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1990 A Soldier's View: REPORTER REPRIMANDED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH By Lewis Mackenzie BELGRADE — During the past few days, I have observed the contingent of foreign journalists here in Belgrade aghast at the controversy surrounding John Simpson, a well-known and respected BBC journalist. Earlier in the week, Simpson filed a piece that showed a small group of Belgrade residents gathered on a sidewalk in the downtown area berating Simpson and proclaiming that Serbia was united against NATO. I saw the news item and knew it accurately reflected the mood of the city. Within 48 hours, the piece was condemned in the British House of Commons as pro-Serbian propaganda that did not accurately reflect the true picture in all of Yugoslavia and that somehow Simpson was aiding the enemy. I think it is important to remember that we are not currently engaged in the Second World War, where our actual survival is at stake. In fact, none of the NATO countries conducting the war against Yugoslavia is under any measurable degree of threat. During the Second World War, journalists were quite understandably part of the weaponry employed by the Allies. They were confined to one side in the conflict and their reports were designed to alleviate concern at home and embellish success at the front and mislead the enemy. All very understandable. Starting with the Gulf War, the allies have had reporters on both sides, a bizarre but natural development, given that both sides felt they could exploit the media presence and 24-hour news coverage to their own good. And so we come to this war with a large contingent of journalists in Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro reporting on the horrific plight of the refugees, and a relatively small number here in Belgrade reporting on what is going on in the capital of the country being attacked and seen as the cause of the conflict. While our movements have to be cleared ahead of time, we have, in fact, travelled outside of Belgrade on numerous occasions. Articles that are sent out of the country — including this one — are not censored; however, there is some evidence that if the rhetoric were considered "Serb-bashing," one's welcome here would soon disappear. The important thing to remember in all this controversy about John Simpson and presumably, the rest of us, is that we are, in fact, in Belgrade and all we can report from firsthand knowledge is what is going on in Belgrade and the mood of the capital's citizens. To suggest that we should adjust our reporting of fact in order to assist NATO's objectives is somewhat distasteful, even to a retired general. Surely, individual members of the public are wise enough to absorb the information flowing out of this region and draw their own conclusions. Sunday, our CTV team visited a middle-class family in Belgrade to film their routine during an air raid warring. The father is out of work as a result of the war and receives no compensation. The three children (aged 14,12, and five) shared with us their feelings when they hear and frequently feel the bombs explode. They became emotional and started to cry while all the time supporting each other. It was a tough thing to film. Undoubtedly, same viewers will immediately condemn the piece as Serbian propaganda and will miss the message that this is just another innocent family, like millions around the world experiencing the horrors of war and wanting nothing more than to have their children survive. If we were in East Timor we could show a similar family there. We just happen to be in Belgrade. Maj-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, now retired, commanded UN troops during the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian civil war of 1992.
[PEN-L:5663] (Fwd) REPORTER REPRIMANDED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH
ts99u-1.cc.umanitoba.ca [130.179.154.224] Tue, 20 Apr 1999 23:26:30 -0500