don't stop the presses

My little brother is a newspaper reporter. About three years ago, without telling any of his family, he went to Baghdad to cover the war. For a kid who works with words, he was the king of the understatement. His first email said something like, “I should let you know I’m in Iraq. I may need our cousin’s phone number so I can find a place to stay.”

Another time, right as the violence was beginning to escalate rapidly, he anticipated what we would see on the nightly news and simply wrote: “Something big blew up here today. Didn’t want you to worry.”

Once he told me that sometimes the Army would fly groups of reporters to different sites to cover an event. The television reporters would get out of the Blackhawk helicopters and have to fix their hair, dust off their clothes, and tidy up their makeup. My brother and the other print reporters, with a five o'clock shadow and in the same clothes since yesterday, would light up a cigarette and call out, “Print media rules!”

Only after he came home did he tell us of the bombs, bullets and bodies he encountered. His was dangerous work in a dangerous place. But it was, and still is, so very vital and necessary.

The news media often gets a bad wrap, especially where I live in the Bible Belt. But for all of its flaws (real and perceived) I hate to think of where we would be without it. Especially in places like the Middle East, where reporters and photographers risk their lives to be a window into the horrors of war and the humanity of suffering. We need the press in places like Gaza and Baghdad, for without them we are ignorant, there is no accountability, stories we need to hear are silenced, and many of those created in the image of God will have no voice.

Today the BBC (one of the most trusted of all news sources) marks 100 days since their own Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza. He was the only Western reporter permanently based in a place that is in desperate need for its story to be told.

I know that when my little brother was reporting from the Middle East I worried every day. Our prayers are with Mr. Johnston’s family and colleagues during this time. We call for his immediate release, and we condemn the act of hostage taking as a way to advance any cause.

A press that is free to tell us the story, even if we don’t always like what they have to say, is just as vital and important to the causes of freedom and justice as any military or institution. As of today, at least 184 members of the press have been killed in Iraq. First Born Son supports their vocation and is grateful for their sacrifice.

(On a related note, the BBC has an online petition calling for Mr. Johnston's release. There are literally tens of thousands of signatures so far. What is interesting to note is the significant number of Arab and Muslim names on the lists, many of them from different countries throughout the Middle East. I believe this helps show that most Arabs and Muslims do not support violence or terrorism. For those who are always asking where are the Muslim voices opposing terrorism... here you go.)