Media in Baghdad ordered to put all their cellphones in a paper bag....

[kentuck]

All the big-shots from the media were there. Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Christiane Amanpour, and others. They got a call from Bremer's office to come to the Green Zone for an important announcement. It was just after midnight.

Once there, they were told that they they would all have to turn in their cellphones because there was a blackout on the news until later in the morning. Dan Rather did not make it to the "meeting". However, both Jennings and Amanpour were there.

When they realized that the BBC did not have to abide by the same rules and were breaking the story as they sat there without their cellphones and no means to communicate, they got steamed. They were pissed, to say the least. Dan Rather, who did not make it to the meeting, actually reported the story sooner than Peter Jennings.

This story was reported on C-SPAN this morning. I have added comments for clarification and perspective. The facts are the same.

[LittleApple81]

1. So they were upset they could not sing Bush*'s praises soon enough? n/t

[bloom]

2. You something bad is going down

when they work so hard to hide it.

[chimpymustgo]

3. Here's more from the Wash Post:

Phoneless Reporters Can't Make the Call


By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 29, 2004; Page C01



The phone calls to the journalists were cryptic. Their cell phones were confiscated. And at the moment that they realized they were watching an abruptly scheduled transfer of power from U.S. authorities to the new Iraqi government yesterday, most of America was fast asleep.

Only two big-name television stars, ABC anchor Peter Jennings and CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, witnessed the brief ceremony in Baghdad.


Moments before they were ushered into the nondescript room, Jennings said yesterday from Baghdad, "a couple of us looked at each other in a highly speculative way and said maybe it had something to do with sovereignty."


CBS's Dan Rather, who was off reporting elsewhere in Iraq, said his team had heard from a U.S. source that " 'we can't tell you what it's going to be, but it's going to be something big.' We did not think there was a high probability it would be the handover."


MSNBC broke the news in the United States, based on a staffer's diplomatic source, at 2:23 a.m. Eastern time, followed by Fox News at 2:30 (reporter Kelly Wright said the handover "could be taking place sometime today") and CNN at 2:33 (European editor Robin Oakley attributed it to British diplomatic sources).

-snip-

More at: (requires registration)
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13554-2004Jun28.html

[koopie57]

4. our media

must be the laughing stock of the world, or would be if not due to their cowardness the world was put in so much danger.

[Loonman]

5. Press whores

Who cares? They don't do their jobs, anyway.

[kentuck]

6. Very true.

:shrug: