600 embedded reporters when U.S. invaded Iraq; only 11 there now

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/98332,CST-NWS-iraq16.article

Frontline journalists fading away
600 embedded when U.S. invaded Iraq; only 11 there now

October 16, 2006
BY LEE KEATH AND ROBERT H. REID

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The number of embedded journalists reporting alongside U.S. troops in Iraq has dropped to its lowest level -- 11.

During the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, more than 600 reporters, TV crews and photographers linked up with U.S. and British units.

''This is more than pathetic,'' said Sig Christenson, a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and president of Military Reporters and Editors.

''It strikes me as dangerous'' for the American public to get so little news of their military, he said.

Some journalists blame the decline on Pentagon bureaucracy, the reporting restrictions journalists face, and pressure by some commanders to avoid ''negative'' coverage. Journalists and U.S. military officers point to declining interest in the long-running story, and the high cost, both in money and danger, of coverage.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. The real reason is...

Actual journalists, even those on puppet strings controlled by the Junta, have a disturbing tendency to tell the truth. And Junta mouthpieces have consistently refused to go into the war zone.

[theoldman]

2. Maybe they do not want to die and get imbedded in Iraq.