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Calling All Bloggers: So You Want To Go To Iraq?

Here is What it Takes To Be Embedded With A US Military Unit
By ANNA SHEN Posted 21 hr. 14 min. ago

For those bloggers who might want to go on a reporting trip to Iraq, the following was sent to Iraqslogger by US Army LTC Christopher C. Garver, CPIC Director of MNF-I.

After a month of waiting with bated breath for an answer, LTC Garver said that as a professional courtesy he does not discuss other reporter's plans, stories, travel information or other, and while reluctant to answer Iraqslogger's requests, he has offered the following:

I do not speak for all the US military -- I can tell you that it is MNF-I policy that we will consider bloggers who request an embed with our forces.

I don't see much difference between mainstream media reporters and bloggers, from my perspective as the CPIC director. From my perspective, their requests are the same and the process to get them embedded is the same. MNF-I works with US Central Command and the Department of Defense on which reporters and which bloggers we should specifically reach out to, but in reality, we will consider requests from any blogger who asks.

One thing I would like to know before we consider a request from a blogger is the "reach" or audience his or her Web site has. This is no different than it is for mainstream media -- if a reporter wants to embed with a unit, we would like to know the size of the audience of the reporter's organization. As there are only a finite number of embed slots, and if we were forced to choose between two reporters, we would look to the reporter whose agency has the larger audience, in order to inform as many people as possible what's going on here in Iraq. The same thing applies to bloggers -- if there is a choice between two bloggers, I would look to the one whose Web site attracted more readers.

Bloggers are covering the same type of stories that other journalists cover.

The number of embedded journalists in the field is different on any given day. This week, we are averaging in the high-30s daily. Last week, when the Baghdad Security Plan was just kicking off, we averaged more than 40 reporters every day. The lowest number of embeds we've had since my unit has been here (late September) was 11 on one day in October. The most that I know of being here was the spring of 2006 during the Constitutional referendum -- there were more than 60 journalists embedded during that time.

Anyone who applies can be embedded. The embed procedure for journalists outside Iraq is slightly different than the one for those inside Iraq (once we have your paperwork, it's a little easier). Journalists figure out what they want to see and send their embed requests to the CPIC. The CPIC ensures the request is complete and then passes it to the Corps and then the Division PAOs. The Divisions determine, in conjunction with subordinate commanders, where the journalist is approved to embed. The final approval on where a journalist goes is made by the tactical unit commanders. After this is done, the CPIC will assist in transportation, if necessary, and the journalist travels out to the location of the unit.

Since I've only been the CPIC director since September, I can't tell you if it's more or less popular than before. I can tell you that journalists want to embed with our units and are actively seeking the ability to embed.

I am sure there are many stories that do not get told.

I do not have figures on this. I am not sure anyone has ever figured the cost of embedding a reporter.

We do not track bloggers by any kind of political leaning, just as we do not track journalists in this way either.