Media Access in the Persian Gulf

The committee heard testimony on the restrictions placed upon the media in the Persian Gulf by the U.S. military. The restrictions, which require that all media personnel be escorted to select locations in the Middle East by military representatives, have come under fire from the media for infringing upon the reporter’s right to access, the reporter’s freedom of speech, and the public’s right to know. The military supports its stance by stating that military positions and information affecting the security of the troops may be given to the enemy by unsupervised reporters. Mr. Williams, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, testified that the media restrictions were justified in protecting the lives of troops, but also admitted the military had sometimes needlessly interfered with the reporting of the media. Mr. Cronkite said he could not tell if the media was relating an accurate portrayal of the war without an objective monitor of events. Mr. Browne objected to the “pool” system of reportin close