The first victim” “

Information, the media and the profession of journalist are going through a revolutionary transformation. The war in Afghanistan is a clear proof of this revolution, but is only the tip of the iceberg. The modern means of communication, electronics, computers, the systems of transmitting news have in fact radically changed the work of the journalist and not necessarily for the better. The foreign correspondent in the past had far more time to inform himself on the spot. He/she generally found local people willing to speak, was able to compare different sources of information, had the time to analyze stories, the chance to move about and, above all, sufficient time to write. Today, by contrast, the editors of newspapers, television and radio news channels want instant news: they require articles and reports to be sent immediately; if possible at the very same time as the events are happening. And this cannot but have an impact on the quality of news. The war correspondent moreover finds himself in a particular situation. He/she often looks, but does not really see; or listens, but does not hear the truth. The spokespersons of the armies or the factions at war usually wish to confuse their enemies, and conceal the facts. It is difficult for journalists to verify how a military action took place, and how many victims it caused. Often it’s easier to learn more about what’s going on in Washington or London than in the war zone itself. But even there censorship is flourishing as never before. So being a journalist in a time of war is a very difficult, but also dangerous task – as demonstrated by the tragic death of many journalists over the last few weeks. Over 50 have been killed just in the space of this year. The Teleban have even offered a bounty of 50,000 dollars for each dead journalist. It is horrendous, but also emblematic. It is widely recognized that the first victim of war is the truth. The victims are civilians, women and children. But they also include journalists, because the strategists, the generals and the combatants try to propagate their own version of the facts. An example of this is the so-called intelligent bombs which – so the military claim – only cause death among civilians in exceptional circumstances, but the facts, unfortunately, prove the opposite. For Osama Bin Laden the media too are weapons of war. And for the Taleban there are no innocents. Anyone may murder anyone at all in the so-called holy war. If a reporter discovers a biological weapons facility or an Al Quaeda training camp, he has to be eliminated. There is another fact that prevents or hampers reliable information. For many reporters and newspapers the war in Afghanistan has become too expensive. Before the 11 September they could work there with a fairly restricted budget. They put up, for example, at the half-destroyed Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul, with a terrible service but at affordable prices. For the compulsory interpreter and chauffeur they could reckon to pay about 100 dollars a day. The Northern Alliance was more generous. Raschid Dostum and Achmed Schah Massud considered journalists as guests, naturally in the hope of being able to influence their dispatches in a positive way. But times have changed. Today to arrive in Afghanistan from Tadzhikistan by helicopter costs 2300 dollars; and then, to arrive in Kabul by taxi, you need to pay a further 1000 dollars. Many journalists must therefore give up any notion of making a personal on-the-spot reconnaissance of the situation and make do with second-hand information. For example, a trio from the TV6 channel in Moscow had to renounce setting up a base in Kabul due to the too high costs. Two journalists from a Spanish agency were recalled to Madrid for financial reasons. So information is becoming an exclusive for the few papers and TV channels that can afford it. And often television news bulletins, for want of material, continue to repeat the same shots, the same images day after day without any news value. Every war is shrouded in a fog of lies and disinformation, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists to dissipate this fog. Not even those who are conducting this war know what is happening, what has happened, or what will happen: because the fog swallows up those who have produced it just as it does those who receive it, as an Italian colleague remarked. It is a dismaying observation, but one that does not prevent those who take this profession seriously from seeking the truth anew every day.