Fairbanks Alaska reporter embedded with 172nd Stryker Brigade

Hat Tip to: Orbusmax

The following article is from Fairbanks, Alaska, News-Miner reporter Margaret Friedenauer who is embedded with the 172nd Stryker Brigade in Iraq. The permanent link to Margaret's article is : The view from on the ground. It seems that about everything Margaret heard or read previously turned out to be incorrect or exaggerated by the Mainstream Media. She went to Iraq and is coming home changed because of her experiences there:

Think about everything you’ve heard about the conditions in Iraq, the role of U.S. forces, the multi-layered complexities of the war.

Then think again.

I’m a journalist. I read the news everyday, from several sources. I have the luxury of reading stuff newspapers don’t always have room to print. I read every tidbit I could on Iraq and the war before coming.

Everything I thought I knew was wrong.

Maybe not wrong, but certainly different than the picture in my head.......

I need to keep balanced. I can’t be a cheerleader, even if I have a soft spot for the hometown troops, especially after the welcome they’ve shown me. I still need to be truthful and walk the centerline and report the good or bad.

But then I realize it’s not a conflict of interest. If I am truly unbiased, then I need to get used to this one simple fact; that the untold story, might in fact, be a positive one. It takes a minute to wrap my mind around it, as a news junkie that became a news writer. The great, career-making, breaking news stories usually don’t have happy endings; they usually revolve around disturbing news, deceit and downfall. Nasty political doings. Gruesome crimes and murders. Revealing secrets. Link to Margaret's Article

I must respect Margaret's Journalistic Integrity and the fact that she is a paid reporter on assignment in Iraq from Fairbanks, Alaska. So, you will have to visit the Fairbanks News Miner to get the complete up to date details the Margaret's embedded reporting. I suggest that you start following Margaret on her journey with the 172nd Stryker Brigade in Iraq.

The above entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 at 1:26 pm and was filed under On the road. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can also leave a response, or trackback from your own site

Technorati tags: messages of retreat, vote, Purple Finger, freedom, Pro Iraq, embedded reporter, 172nd stryker brigade, Fairbanks, Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News Miner, journalists, and Opinion

Cross-posted: The Bosun Locker, Navy Corner