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Capturing Saddam Hussein: How the full story got away, and what conflict journalism can learn from it

Rodgers, J. (2011). Capturing Saddam Hussein: How the full story got away, and what conflict journalism can learn from it. Journal of War and Culture Studies, 4(2), pp. 179-191. doi: 10.1386/jwcs.4.2.179_1

Abstract

The capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003 was reported with a sense of triumph which must have greatly satisfied the United States forces occupying Iraq. This was the victory they had been looking for; the seminal moment which signalled that the invasion had been a success. But the reporting of that event was also a missed opportunity: an example of incomplete story telling.

In this article, I use my personal experience of reporting on the event for the BBC as a starting point to examine what it, and the way it was covered, tell us about the omissions which are frequently a feature of conflict reporting. The article argues that the way in which reporters had to work in Iraq then meant that they did not convey all of the event’s wider implications, and suggests how that might be improved.

Publication Type: Article
Publisher Keywords: Reporting conflict, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, war correspondent, journalism, technology
Subjects: J Political Science > JZ International relations
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Departments: School of Communication & Creativity > Journalism
Related URLs:
SWORD Depositor:
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