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Throughout the United States' war history, the way our media covers war zones has changed significantly. The military had a firm control on what the media reported in World War 1 and the 1982 Gulf War and technology outdated the news before it even hit stands from the Civil War to World War 2. However, in recent wars such as the Iraqi war and Vietnam War the media coverage is raw, uncensored, and available live. It is in my opinion that people should get their news as soon as possible, as long as it is reliable, does not put our troops in immediate danger, and sends a message. There are videos on Youtube made by soldiers fighting in Iraq, which gives us an instant and raw look into life in combat. In my opinion, coverage of the war, ideally, should be as raw as these videos. Getting a dose of what it really is like in a war zone, and the natural reactions of our soldiers without the filtering of military officials, or edits made by producers at the news studios. However, this kind of coverage does not give us all the information we need to know about what is going on with the war. Also, there is a point into what should not be played on air, because there is a lot of swearing in the videos and war can create some horrible and terrifying images. But, I think any adult, even teenagers, need to be educated about human nature, and not be cushioned in their safe worlds of MTV, ipods, and whatever happiness money can buy. I did not change my opinion of the soldiers after hearing them swearing on the video, in fact their choice of language did not even strike my conscience at all. I understand that they are human beings and are in an intense situation, which makes me appreciate what they do for our country. In a way, I think it will be good if people learn about dealing with terrible truths and not become so closed minded and centered about themselves.

Furthermore, I believe it is the media's responsibility, above all else, to report the news with absolute truth; especially in wartime. It should not matter how terrible, horrible, or damaging the event is to our country; the truth should be told! We should not be a country that is afraid or unable to hear that we aren't winning, or that humanity doesn't exist for people in other countries. It should open our eyes to the horrors that people can do and the open ourselves to the fact that the all great United States of America isn't always perfect or does the right thing. But, with correct timing, it is also important to have a story that will inspire our country and show that there are some genuine good people that defend our country and want to help others experience the same freedom that we cherish. The media should freely expose all of the good things and bad things that happen during wartime.

I would like to be a war correspondent only if I could freely report about what I see and experience without the pressure of making people at home and my bosses happy. In a perfect world, or rather where rules were to my liking, I would do it. Today, there are so many limitations to reporting and a lot of reporters are fed information by the military which are in truth, not all that reliable. For the military likes to control what image they portray in the media. I would like to experience the emotions that come with war and write about it because to me nothing is stronger than a raw telling of an event from one person's point of view compared to articles that are very constructed and mostly give off facts and numbers. I think the biggest challenge would be dealing with death and destruction because I am a very emotional person. Also I think it is difficult for anyone to deal with war and the possiblity of losing your life.

All in all, war is something that should be reported openly and truly because it is something worth being affected by. The more immediate coverage of war will make the sounds of sights of war become regular images to the American public. This leads to less suspense to war, but it keeps people mostly up to date with the goings on of the troops.