Reporters Wary of Pentagon Promises

By: David Goodman, Associated Press Writer (AP) The military is offering reporters better access to American forces in a potential war with Iraq than they had in Afghanistan or the Persian Gulf, leading journalists said Monday.

But the journalists said they remain wary of those promises, given the way they say the Pentagon handled journalists' access to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"We got essentially zip, nothing of any value, during that campaign," CNN's Christiane Amanpour said at a forum on covering war and bioterrorism at the University of Michigan.

Amanpour, the cable network's chief international correspondent, said the military needs to balance its security concerns with "what we the press need to meet our responsibilities."

Amanpour joined a panel of broadcast and newspaper journalists at the forum. She spoke via video link from Tel Aviv where she is covering Tuesday's Israeli elections.

Conference organizers said they sought but could not get a U.S. representative to present the government's view on access to military operations.

Telephone and pager messages left with the Defense Department were not immediately returned Monday night.

The military has said it wants to improve its relations with the news media during wartime. In November, the Pentagon brought 58 journalists together with military personnel to improve understanding on both sides.

"We are going to tell you the truth. We are going to tell you what we can tell you, and we are going to tell you when we can't," Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said at the time.

While American forces in Afghanistan were of little help to reporters, Afghan forces were, NBC correspondent Ashleigh Banfield told the audience of about 400 on Monday.

"The warlords were happy to tell us what they were doing," she said.

The public and government should see American journalists as part of the broader society, rather than outsiders, the speakers said.

Tom Rosenstiel, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, said journalists understand that in war they must decide whether the information they gather might hinder the military.

"We can hear things and learn things that we must hold close to ourselves," added Kevin Klose, chief executive of National Public Radio.

CNN news chief executive Eason Jordan said the military acknowledges the importance of giving reporters better access.

"They are saying the right things," Jordan said by video link from Atlanta. "Whether they do the right things remains to be seen."