This week we mourn the tragic loss of yet three more of our colleagues who died covering the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Within 24 hours, two Spanish journalists were caught in the battle and lost their lives. On April 7th, Julio A. Parrado of Telecinco was killed when the U.S. Third Division Infantry he was embedded with was attacked by a surface-to-surface Iraqi missile 50 miles south of Baghdad. In that attack, Christian Liebig, his German colleague and two U.S. marines also lost their lives.

On April 8th, using one of his last gasps of air, Jose Couso, El Mundo's reporter, managed to point the finger to where the killer weapon was located. "It was the tank," he said before he died in Saint Raphael Hospital in Baghdad. On April 8th, the most dramatic day for journalists since the beginning of the current war, came as American tanks entered Baghdad and engaged in a ground battle with Iraqi forces. A total of three journalists were killed and three injured in three different attacks earlier that day. The other two journalist casualties were Taras Protsyuk, a Reuters cameraman and the Al Jazeera network's Baghdad correspondent, Taraq Ayyoub.

International journalists organization responded immediately. The Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders called on U.S. Defense Donald Rumsfeld to provide evidence that the offices of Al-Jazeera and the attacks on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad were not deliberately fired upon by U.S. forces, causing the deaths of three journalists. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, also sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld condemning the attacks on the press and called for a thorough investigation of the incidents. The Brussels-based organization The International Federation of Journalists called the attacks on journalists "crimes of war" and called for independent international inquiry.

Some of the remaining Spanish reporters and their networks are evaluating the possibility of evacuating the war infested Iraqi capital. Nevertheless, Monica G. Prieto of El Mundo newspaper, staying behind in Baghdad, confessed in her April 9th article that she will stay for Jose and Juan, the fallen reporters. "I stay behind for you Juan and for you Jose" read the title of her article.

In less than three weeks, and under different circumstances, 10 journalists have lost their lives and another two are still missing in Iraq. Missing Newsday journalists Moises Saman and Matt McAllester were found safe last week. Telemundo is the only U.S.-based Spanish-language network that still has a correspondent in Baghdad.

CENSORSHIP, BIAS OR FAIR COVERAGE? What do you think of the U.S.-based Hispanic TV networks coverage of the war? Make your opinion be known in the Breves Watercooler

South American Perspective On U.S. Media War Coverage

We all know that the current U.S.-led war in Iraq is dominating newscasts worldwide. Western networks embedded an unprecedented numbers of journalists with U.S. and British forces allowing viewers worldwide to follow their movements almost hour by hour through the invasion of Iraq. Video-phones allowed journalists to be a dial away from our TV screens bringing us the latest on the war. However, with the aid of new technologies and using embedded journalists, are networks truly providing balanced, objective, accurate and uncensored news? We have talked to a group of South American journalists and asked them how viewers in their home countries view the coverage of U.S. and Western media of this war.

Bolivia
"There is a clear intention of making of the news a spectacle. It shouldn't be like that. It should be pure information. In this war in Iraq we see that some international (TV) networks have chosen to send their reporters (embedded) to the front lines. These decisions have automatically lured viewers into a search for more and more dramatic images. Some money is being made off other's pain and sufferings.

In Bolivia, the coverage of large American networks has lost credibility because they skip over many events in the war. On the other hand, other international networks have talked about the censorship the American media faces (while reporting about this war). Therefore, the Bolivian people opted to watch other networks to learn what really was happening in this conflict. Despite the fact that during the first Gulf War, the American TV networks were the leaders in information, they have lost that prestige in this war."
Myriam Claros
Journalist and Editor of Informativos/ATB
La Paz, Bolivia

Colombia
"The majority of the Colombians consider that the journalistic coverage of the war in Iraq by the Western media outlets as being prejudiced by the perception that this is a completely inevitable war.

Colombians think that the media should give more coverage of the Iraqi people. There is not enough independent coverage or independent commentaries about the situation. However, the reporters know clearly that they can't move about in their own transport vehicles so it makes their movement completely controlled by the military command. Colombians think that the two countries that are mostly anxious to go to war with Iraq are the U.S. and the U.K. and that the media act like government mouthpiece or government propaganda instruments.

Finally, Colombians think that the war against Iraq is not only producing 'collateral damage' amid the civil population, but also is producing censorship, auto-censorship and misinformation."
John L. Munévar
Journalist, Specializing in Latin-American Conflicts
P&M Productions and Media, Inc.
jmunevar@atlanta.k12.ga.us

Uruguay
"In Uruguay, the public went through three phases. At first, it was the eagerness of getting the images from the bombings. Second, Uruguayans faced a disorientation caused by the gigantic amount of information they were exposed to. Now, people have "gotten used to" the images of the war and started to look for more focused and analytical angled news from which they will be allowed to understand the reasons and consequences of this conflict. And, they are not so interested in the daily military events."
Mauricio Rabuffetti
International Information Editor for the Latin American Desk
Agence France Press

Argentina
"Now, the public, in comparison to the Gulf War of the 90s, feel that they have the opportunity to know more details about what is happening in Iraq. This is because more is seen from there. The media coverage of this war is more extensive, and has penetrated deeply in the conflict.

The public values the role the Western media plays. However, it also has a critical point of view towards a few media outlets and (the public) still hope that the events are processed with the best objectivity possible."
Omar Fajardo
Anchor

Brazil
"It's very difficult talking about the feeling of the majority of the Brazilian people, but I'm sure they are against the war and don't agree with it! Regarding the media coverage, around 65% of the people are close to newspapers, radio and TV but don't like the Show of the War. There's a joke running in the country that says that they gave 48 hours to start the war because there were no sponsors for the show!"
Luiz Fernando Magliocca
Journalist and CEO
CIN - Central Internacional de Notmcias

Promotion!
Producer Hiram Enriquez from CNN En Español has recently been promoted to producer/correspondent. His immediate responsibilities include covering the military logistics of the war in Iraq. Enriquez is also host of the monthly high-tech program Zona Digital at CNN En Español.