In Iraq information war, how much is too much to know?
By Meghan Dinger During the war in Iraq, many American citizens raised questions about the amount of information necessary for maintaining the safety of the troops. “Why, citizens ask, do those reporters keep telling the enemy the location and plans of troops?” Karen Dunlap wrote in a Poynter Institute story. “Why do reporters ask and tell about troops morale problems? Why do they keep saying where the troops are located and what the military plans to do?” Another complaint was written to Marvin Lake at Hampton Roads which said, “Stop saying where they’re going, who’s going and for how long. Some things shouldn’t be told. Why don’t you take that information…and e-mail it to Saddam?” There has been a long-standing conflict between the news media’s need for access, the public’s right to know what they report, and the military’s need for secrecy and safety. “How can reporting of the war’s preparations take place in a way that does not compromise the safety of America’s service members a
