War Is The Toughest Story In Journalism

"War, unlike any other news event, asks profound questions of journalists," writes Roy Greenslade in the Guardian. "How do we separate truth from propaganda? How do we overcome the dilemma of political and military leaders controlling access to vital information? What value do we place on what we see on the frontline as against what we are told back at headquarters? ... These questions hovered over last week's Media Guardian forum on war coverage as reporters and desk-bound decision-makers explained how and why they acted as they did. By coincidence the forum took place while the prime minister's director of communications, Alastair Campbell, was appearing in front of a Commons committee to explain the provenance of his "dodgy dossier" which had persuaded many people, including MPs, that invasion was essential to prevent Saddam Hussein from using his supposed weapons of mass destruction. ... Perhaps the most perceptive and witty comment of all came from James Meek, who in spite of observing battles in the desert, said: 'I felt I missed the war because I hadn't seen it on TV.'"