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American Morning

Pentagon Restricts Journalists in Afghanistan

Aired February 22, 2002 - 09:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to turn to a different kind of entertainment now. American journalists overseas are dealing with the news that the Pentagon is putting entertainment ahead of news reporting. Two Hollywood producers are being given unprecedented access to U.S. military troops in Afghanistan and around the world. Now the government is trying to promote the war effort through a new reality TV series to appear on ABC.

And joining us now from Kandahar, CNN's Martin Savidge. Good morning, Martin. I know that reporters on the ground aren't too happy about the kind of access these Hollywood producers are, in stuff you're banned from. What is the reaction?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Paula. I think the frustration in general is reflected by almost every journalist that you talk to. From my point of view, it is frustration, it is anger, it is bewilderment, and in some cases, it is shock and deep disappointment for a number of reasons.

First of all, I don't begrudge that the U.S. military would try to find alternate means to promote the sacrifice, the dedication, the hard work of the men and women of the U.S. military. Lord knows they need all the attention that they should get, and deserve it. But if it comes at the exclusion of legitimate journalists, then there is a real problem with that, for a number of reasons. Number one, totally aside from journalism, one of the things that really irks me as a person who has a lot of money taken out of his paycheck just like a lot of people back in America, that goes, in part, to support the war effort, is that Hollywood producers will come here to produce a television show designed to (AUDIO GAP) to make millions, perhaps tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars in profit, and yet all of the props that are going to be used in this program, all of the people that are the actors are paid for by the American taxpayer. The backdrop itself is funded to the tune of about a billion dollars a day by U.S. taxpayers. Yet what do they get in return? Pretty much. they get a script that is edited and video that is edited by the U.S. military. In other words, they don't get a fair depiction, they don't get a clear baseline from which to judge whether the "Operation Enduring Freedom" is succeeding or not. And it is the U.S. taxpayer that is the ultimate commander, not the people at CFLICK (ph), not the people at CENTCOM, not the people at the Pentagon. And yet, how are they to judge whether the war is succeeding or not.

ZAHN: Well, Martin, I think you raise some really pointed issues here, and I think it's easy for people to understand why you are so upset about the hypocrisy here, and in many ways -- give us a sense, in a typical day, you know, what you will do on the field, what you're limited from seeing, that one of these ABC producers can blow through, and have front line access to?

SAVIDGE: Well, let me give you a clear example, Paula. We have been out here nearly six weeks, living under the same conditions as the troops. Not a day has gone by that we haven't pushed, we haven't stressed, that we haven't pressed to go on a legitimate military operation. Not a media-op, but a legitimate military operation. We get "we'll look into it." We get "maybe next week." We've been through nearly six weeks of next week, and we're beginning to get the hint.

Yesterday, we had a media -- a public affairs officer come to us and say, I have got a good story for you. We picked the camera. We thought there had been a breakthrough. We rushed off and followed him. He took us to the mail room, and showed us the Girl Scout Cookies.

ZAHN: Oh, come on.

SAVIDGE: I have got nothing against the Girl Scouts. My daughter is a Girl Scout. I love their cookies. But come on. We came here to see combat, we're shown cookies. I can't tell you if the war is succeeding against terrorism. I can't tell if the good fight is being fought, but I can show you a lot of Dosie-dos (ph).

ZAHN: Martin Savidge, thanks for calling our attention to us (ph). I don't think many of us were aware of the double standard that was aplay (ph), and we appreciate your report. It is interesting to note that some journalists have actually been stopped, at gun point, by U.S. troops as they try to cover a story. Martin, take care.

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