The Sword is Mightier than the Pen

Glenn
Reynolds links to

Volokh who describes the intimidation that correspondents are filing
their stories under in Iraq.

The

New York Times reports that Reuters is upset that the CanWest newspaper
chain changed a Reuters story to describe the Al Asqa Martyrs' brigade, a
Palestinian terrorist group, as "a terrorist group":

"Our editorial policy is that we don't use emotive words when labeling
someone," said David A. Schlesinger, Reuters' global managing editor. "Any
paper can change copy and do whatever they want. But if a paper wants to
change our copy that way, we would be more comfortable if they remove the
byline." Mr. Schlesinger said he was concerned that changes like those made
at CanWest could lead to "confusion" about what Reuters is reporting and
possibly endanger its reporters in volatile areas or situations. "My
goal is to protect our reporters and protect our editorial integrity," he
said.

In other words, Reuters must amend its copy to suit or its reporters may be
harmed. This is another aspect of asymmetrical warfare that goes unrecognized.
Terrorists are essentially free to censor news coverage or even alter it by
intimidation whereas Coalition Forces are strictly forbidden from even thinking
about it. It's similar to when gangsters would trash 19th century newspaper
offices to head off crusading editors except that today's gangsters can edit the
copy to describe themselves as 'militants' or 'activists' or 'people' and
editors have banished the words 'crusading' and especially 'crusade' from their
lexicon altogether.

John Burns of the New York Times described how he hid from Saddam's thugs in
hotel stairwells during OIF while those who towed the line or paid them off
received preferential treatment.

There were correspondents who thought it appropriate to seek the
approbation of the people who governed their lives. This was the ministry of
information, and particularly the director of the ministry. By taking him out
for long candlelit dinners, plying him with sweet cakes, plying him with
mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of
thousands of dollars. Senior members of the information ministry took hundreds
of thousands of dollars of bribes from these television correspondents who
then behaved as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of
minders. Never mentioned terror.

In comparison with this kind of tampering  the CBS 60 Minutes
forgery scandal pales into insignificance. Terror, through intimidation, has to
some extent been able to control what Americans and Europeans are allowed to
read. Yet Reuters says, "My goal is to protect our reporters and protect our
editorial integrity". Where have we heard that before?