Press Officer
2nd LT Doral Chenoweth
Manila 1945
(Detached Assignment)
A Sad Sad Update
on War Reporting...
11NOV2004
During World War II when I compiled the biographies and collected the pictures of the 54 reporters killed in action, all were accredited by the War Department, Bureau of Public Relations. Accreditation meant having credentials issued to a newspaper, a wire service, magazine or broadcast network based in one of the Allied nations. Those credentials authorized affiliated reporters for field service with U. S. and Allied forces. That meant they could receive rations and quarters with troops as they moved in theaters of operations. Two diverse examples of how accreditation was obtained:
>>>>> Ernie Pyle, the final chapter in this book, was accredited by the War Department as a Scripps Howard Newspapers correspondent.
>>>>> Tom Treanor was a Los Angeles Times reporter who managed to reach combat zones in North
Africa as a reporter roaming Europe and Africa months before the U. S. entered officially. He attached himself to any number of field combat units as a correspondent working for the L. A. Times and NBC. Eventually, he managed accreditation with other Allied forces when he happened to meet a newspaper friend in India. His personal and humorous account of those efforts comprise a good read. Even today Hollywood could have a big box office with his book: The Only Correspondent Representing a Newspaper From West of the Mississipi Riiver Ever to Visit the Middle East.
Korea was memorialized in M*A*S*H.
World War II had T*R*E*A*N*O*R.
Hollywood's screen treatment is Chatper IX herein.
Unlike World War II media regulations, reporters killed in action in the Iraqi war came from many nations and, more or less, were freelancers in a war without borders or frontlines. This is the Associated Press story dated - 11 November 2004:
"Fifty-four journalists were killed this year, making 2004 the deadliest year
for the media in a decade. Iraq is the most dangerous place for journalists
to work, with 23 killed this year, up from 13 last year."
The 54 killed in action during WW II covered a period from
May 1940 to 18 April 1945 - Webb Miller of United Press to Ernie Pyle.
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4 JULY 2010
US Military Insanity:
From an L. A. Times
story...June deadliest
yet for coalition...'Afghan
forces had 37 KIAs; The
USA lost 60 troops...click
this three-minute Vimeo...
posted 30 May 2010...
be concerned, protest...
http://vimeo.com/12040116
U.S. War Dead (*)
16 July 2010 (Includes combat and non-combat military deaths.)
In Afghanistan: 1,100
since military operations began 7 October 2001
In Iraq: 4,415
since military operations began 19 March 2003
Sources: Defense Department, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times,
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(*) Every daily newspaper in America should be
running the monthly death count of reporters
killed in Afghan and Iraq actions, the heaviest
toll in all of America's many wars.
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World War II Accredited
for rations, quarters with U.S. forces in field:
54 (May 1940 to 18 April 1945) Source: War Department Bureau of Public Relations, Liaison Branch 28 January 1946
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Tagging along to cover the war in a land about the size of California, add 1,445 journalists covering the action as “unilaterals,” translated to mean undocumented, or the unwashed. Among the star names now accredited - Ollie North; Geraldo Rivera and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, an Atlanta doctor hired by
CNN to do stand-up about his field surgery. North and Rivera were hired by Fox News to do specials for their stateside studio programs. Dr. Gupta has since become a roving reporter working other major news stories on location.
In my war the beat was around the world. Theaters of operations were pegged to Europe, North Africa, the Pacific, and China-Burma. The War Department, Bureau of Public Relations, gave accreditation to 500 reporters.
Fifty four were killed in action. That’s a huge slice from the 500 who were “accredited for service (meaning for rations and quarters) with US Forces in the field.” This website is their story related from the first death in May, 1940, to the last, Ernie Pyle, on 18 April 1945.
Doral Chenoweth
O-1338687
send email click here
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