Reporting Iraq: An Oral History of the War by the Journalists who Covered It

by Mike Hoyt (Editor), Columbia Journalism Review (Editor)

The world's best known reporters tell the story of what really happened in Iraq in a gripping and gritty narrative history of the war.

Included are contributions from fifty international journalists, including Dexter Filkins, The New York Times correspondent who won widespread praise for his coverage of Fallujah; Rajiv Chandrassekaran, author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City; Anthony Shadid of the Washington Post, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his war coverage; Richard Engel of NBC; Anne Garrels of NPR, and other star reporters from both the print and broadcast world, not to mention their translators, photo journalists, and a military reporter.

All come together to discuss the war from its beginning on, and they hold back nothing on the violence they faced—Farnaz Fassihi of the Wall Street Journal talks about her near–kidnapping by "five men with AK–47s" chasing her car. ("I kept thinking, 'This is it.'") Nor do they hold back discussing how this impacted their work—British reporter Patrick Cockburn of The Independent notes that "One had to spend an enormous amount of time thinking about one's own security," and NPR reporter Deborah Amos observes that it was even more complicated for women: "As time went on we had to dress as Iraqi women, in the most conservative costumes Iraqi women would wear."

But perhaps the most fascinating—and chilling—observation is that most saw a disaster in Iraq unfolding long before they were allowed to report it. As Jon Lee Anderson of The New Yorker puts it, various governmental authorities and the media's own fears combined "to keep bad news away from the public," an observation supported by over 21 stunning, full–color photographs—many of which have never been published before due to such censorship.

Collected by the editors of America's most prestigious media monitor, the Columbia Journalism Review, such revelations make Reporting Iraq a fascinating and unique look at the war, as well as an important critique of international press coverage.

Genres: Journalism

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[CK]

Are you happy I'm not reading about Vietnam, AK? lol

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting perspective on the war. Again, it's hard to fathom how much we fucked up.

[ba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book began as an article in the Columbia Journalism Review and was later expanded to book form. They interviewed 50 journalists, photographers and translators who had covered the war in Iraq through the end of 2006. The subjects are asked about their experience covering the war, and how that changed from the initial invasion through the heat of the so-called insurgency. What emerges is a glimpse of the working lives of reporters, but more so, an on-the-ground view of the war itself, perhaps more than you would get reading the resulting articles in the press.

I highly recommend this book. It's fascinating to learn the insanely dangerous conditions under which these journalists are working, and also to glimpse the way in which these committed idealists have to constantly re-examine their methods from a moral , practical and survival standpoint to insure that they're living up to the high standards of their profession.

On a lighter note, one of the interviewees is named Larry Kaplow, which in my mind I read as Larry KAPLOW!!! (shouted). Luckily, he's a print journalist for Cox News Service. Were he a radio reporter, it might play out as follows:

[whispered] "...and so, we are forced to spend the night in a ditch covered by a tarp to evade the insurgent's night patrols until daylight , when it is safe to emerge. For NPR, this is Larry KAPLOW!!!!"

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good, accessible read. As an oral history, you'll find that sometimes the words and phrasing comes across as a little disjointed, but that's entirely understandable given they're trying to formulate answers, recall specifics without the benefit of notes in front of them.

Having read extensively on this subject from other sources, I wasn't particularly surprised by anything I found here, however I still enjoyed their personal experiences and perspectives. Be forewarned: there are a few graphic photos included that didn't make it into US media outlets.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exerpts from interviews with over 40 reporters, photographers, and translators who have reported from Iraq, arranged chronologically, tell the story of deteriorating conditions for the media, civilians, and the military. Worth reading.

[debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book gave me a real birds eye view of war...for anyone who wonders what it is like to go through and experience war, i recommend this book...told by journalists who covered iraq from 2003 to 2006, this book opens your eyes to what both sides go through...very thought provoking...

[Onnesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew my mind. The way we currently cover the war and war-time presidency is stupid, sterile, criminal. I think I'm going to interview these folks. Or write a review. Can't stop thinking about it.

[Melville House Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Never in the fifty years that I have been in or around the news business have I read a better record of a historic event than this." -- Reese Schonfeld, founding president of CNN

[Toph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It gave a powerful first-hand perspective of the war in Iraq. Very interesting to read, gripping, informative. Amazing!