So You Wanna Be a War Journalist?

Here are a couple quick reasons why to consider thinking twice:

AP:

The U.S. military in Iraq has imprisoned an Associated Press photographer for five months, accusing him of being a security threat but never filing charges or permitting a public hearing…. One of Hussein’s photos was part of a package of 20 photographs that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography last year. His contribution was an image of four insurgents in Fallujah firing a mortar and small arms during the U.S.-led offensive in the city in November 2004.

Reporters Without Borders:

106 journalists and media assistants killed since the start of fighting in Iraq in March 2003, two still missing.

The moral of the story — don’t count on anyone having your back — even if you win a Pulitzer! (there are, of course, some exceptions).