Since the first missiles were fired on Iraq, coverage of the war has consumed U.S. media. But with increased access to military operations and the recent removal of two network reporters, the media is making its own headlines — and the Medill School of Journalism is taking note.

Embedded journalists have reported live from the battlefield, providing Americans with a view into military action previously denied in the war in Afghanistan.

“This was a giant step forward from the Afghanistan war,” said Prof. Joe Angotti, chairman of the Medill’s broadcast department. “(In Afghanistan) the Pentagon was keeping all the media away from army activities and that was unrealistic and unfair.”

While many Medill professors agree that embedded reporters provide an enhanced view of the war, the nature of embedded journalism has become controversial, particularly regarding the ability to provide balanced reporting.

“They have become very close to the troops they are covering — maybe too close,” Angotti said. “They spend 24 hours a day with them, they eat with them, they sleep with them.

“And when it comes time for them to be critical or ask tough questions, I think it may be difficult for them to ask those tough questions and report negative news.”

Professors also said news organizations have to be careful not to focus coverage mainly on these reporters, whose view of the war is limited to the army unit with which they are travelling.

“If you are going to rely so heavily on the embedded reporter, it is up to the news organizations to recognize the limitations of what those reporters can provide and use other sources of news to make a more complete picture of the war available to the public,” Medill Dean Loren Ghiglione said.

The Pentagon spelled out 19 ground rules in a military statement for some 500 embedded journalists. The rules prohibit the reporting of things such as rules of engagement and the effectiveness of various enemy tactics, including electronic warfare and intelligence collection. Infractions of these rules “could jeopardize operations and endanger lives.”

Government officials recently requested the removal of Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera from Iraq, a non-embedded reporter who compromised the war effort by sketching a map of Iraq in the sand on which he drew out where an army unit was located and where it was headed.

As far back as World War I, journalists traveling with troops have been subjected to both enforced and voluntary censorship, said Prof. Richard Schwarzlose, who teaches history and issues of journalism.

“In the world wars and Korea, journalists knew that there were things they should not report, such as troop movements, number of troops, locations of troops and plans of troops,” he said. “I’m not suggesting that you be a patriot and buy into the war and the administration’s policies, but when the war begins you owe (the armed forces) protection of their military secrets.”

While many professors agree that Rivera violated his duty, they said NBC’s firing of independent correspondent Peter Arnett is a more complicated issue. NBC fired Arnett for granting an interview to Iraqi government-run television, in which he said the war effort was failing because of unforeseen Iraqi resistance.

“Arnett’s mistake was that he put himself in a position where he could be manipulated,” Angotti said. “By going on Iraqi television … his words could be taken out of context and used as a propaganda tool.”

NBC officials said Arnett had lost his objectivity, but Schwarzlose said the journalist owes his viewers insight.

“If all we can offer is the pabulum of facts, if that’s all there is to it, we are shortchanging our readers,” he said. “If all you are going to do is give them the facts then it seems that you are denying your audience your expertise.”

The increasing prominence of international news has caused Medill faculty to evaluate how they can further incorporate global journalism into their undergraduate curriculum, said Ghiglione, who recently returned from South Africa, where he traveled with eight students spending Spring Quarter in Cape Town.

Prof. Marda Dunsky, who teaches the graduate-level global journalism class, said Medill’s response to the growing demand for international journalism will help determine how effective the school will be.

“Journalism schools have to react and respond to those kinds of things to stay relevant,” she said.