Reporting
America at War
In television’s first comprehensive look
at an extremely timely issue, the Emmy-nominated Reporting
America at War explores the role of American journalists
in the pivotal conflicts of the 20th century – and beyond.
From San Juan Hill to the
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Reporting America at War
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beaches of Normandy, from the jungles of
Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, the three-hour documentary from
acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Ives tells the dramatic and often
surprising stories of the reporters who brought the wars home
to us. Through the lens of their experiences, the film examines
the challenges of frontline reporting and illuminates the role
of the correspondent in shaping the way wars have been remembered
and understood. “This is the story of the men and women
who have brought war home to us,” says director Stephen
Ives, “War correspondents are mythic figures that have
captured the American imagination, and the history of their
exploits on the battlefield offers a revealing glimpse into
the workings of our democracy.”
At the heart of Reporting America at War are the
courageous, controversial men and women who have communicated
the chaos and brutality of the battlefield to their fellow
citizens on the homefront. In addition to profiles of such
distinguished historical figures as Richard Harding Davis,
Edward R. Murrow and Ernie Pyle, the documentary features
conversations with some of the most influential correspondents
of our time – among them Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney,
David Halberstam, Morley Safer, Peter Arnett, Christiane Amanpour
and Chris Hedges. Together, their experiences offer fresh
and compelling perspective on the history of America’s
military conflicts, and raise provocative questions about
the rights and responsibilities of a free press in times of
war.
Much more than a collection of journalists’
reflections, Reporting America at War also offers
an engaging and informative look at the history of the American
media. By tracing the development of war reporting over the
course of the last  century,
the documentary examines a host of fundamental cultural transformations
which have shaped not only the press, but the nation itself,
including the birth of the modern newspaper; the rise of yellow
journalism; the invention of radio, television and the Internet;
the recent proliferation of pundits and news analysts; and
the explosive growth of 24-hour cable news. In a special concluding
segment, the program also engages the current debate over
the policy of embedding journalists in Iraq, and assesses
the significance of this initiative for the future of war
reporting.
Episode One begins in 1898 with the Spanish-American
War and, after flashing backward to trace the Civil War-era
roots of American war reporting, goes on to explore the role
of political commitment in war coverage during the first half
of the twentieth century. Through the experiences of Martha
Gellhorn, Ernie Pyle, Andy Rooney, Walter Cronkite and others,
the film examines the ways in which a belief in the rightness
of the cause led to an emphasis on the noble and heroic aspects
of battle, and to an unprecedented level of cooperation between
the military and the press.
Episode Two charts the erosion of that consensus
during the Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and examines
the backlash against the media that took place in the more
recent conflicts in Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf.
The episode also explores the role of technology in shaping
the current relationship between the military and the press.
Reporting America at War is
a co-production of Insignia Films and WETA Washington, D.C.
The series was produced by Amanda Pollak and Stephen Ives,
written by Michelle Ferrari, and directed by Mr. Ives. The
narrator is Linda Hunt. The Executive Producer for Insignia
Films is Robert A. Wilson. Executive producers for WETA are
Dalton Delan and David S. Thompson.
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