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Photo: Ofer Amram
'Reporters must abide by the law.' Regev
Photo: Ofer Amram

IDF: Media hounded bereaved families

Army Spokesperson Miri Regev tells committee tasked with determining ethical rules for media at times of war, ‘Reporters were quick to arrive at homes of families who had just received word of their loved one’s death, thus interfering in their process of coming to terms with the tragic news’

IDF Spokesperson Brig. General Miri Regev testified on Friday before a committee tasked with determining ethical rules for the media at times of war.

 

Regev suggested to the committee that a special ‘media watchdog' be appointed during wars to monitor live broadcasts and make certain they were aired after a several-minute delay to prevent the leaking of sensitive information that may endanger fighting forces.

 


Regev testifies before committee (Photo: Ofer Amram)  

 

“We understood that the public’s uncertainty during the war increased the anxiety level and that the rumor mill may have been misleading, so we formulated a policy of openness toward the media while safeguarding censorship and the passing on of reliable information.

 

During her testimony Regev raised a number of issues that she deemed problematic, such as the photos of injured soldiers being carried off the helicopter and taken into the emergency room.

 

According to Regev, media outlets must consider the possibility that the injured soldiers’ parents may be watching before airing such images and take the soldiers’ dignity into account as well.

 

She also complained about photo journalists’ conduct in closed military zones during the war.

 

“Reporters must abide by the law; they cannot break into closed military zones,” Regev stated.

 

The IDF spokesperson further claimed that reporters were quick to arrive at the homes of bereaved families who had just received word of their loved one’s death, thus interfering in their process of coming to terms with the tragic news.

 

Regev admitted that the public was insufficiently exposed to images from the battlefield, saying reporters should have been allowed access to fighting zones at an earlier stage of the war.

 

The spokesperson said that in some cases she was forced to phone the IDF and explain to them the importance of allowing the media to cover the fighting.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.20.06, 12:28
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