"Don't mistake micro for macro with news 'embeds'"

A good article in today's Christian Science Monitor:

.... It's long been said that football is a metaphor for war. Teams push through enemy territory, try to break through defensive lines, throw "the bomb." But ironically, in a postmodern age, football game coverage may be the best metaphor for war coverage.

Watching war coverage by simply watching embedded reporters is a bit like trying to figure out what's going on in a game by watching the action through a camera isolated on one player. It's like trying to understand a game by looking through the "helmet cam" of a linebacker. It's nearly impossible.

That's not to say embedding is bad, or worthless. It is valuable and useful. It is an important aspect of coverage because it helps get at the most difficult parts of war to see, the day-to-day life of the men and women who put their lives on the line, but it's only one aspect. To understand what's actually happening, one needs to step back to grasp the larger picture. And that's where things get tricky....

(Thanks, Jonathan.)

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Tue. 03/25/03 01:15:22 PM
Categorized as Media.