Israel has decided to let EIGHT foreign journalists into Gaza to cover the invasion. Ha'aretz reports in the article "Foreign journalists vie for the few slots to get into Gaza":
the Second Lebanon War, the Defense Ministry decided to close the Strip
entirely to the press. This week the matter reached the High Court of
Justice.
In a compromise, the parties agreed that a limited team of eight
journalists would be allowed into Gaza when the Erez crossing opened,
for example, to send in humanitarian aid. However, sources in the
Foreign Press Association say that since the decision, the crossings
have not opened.
Israel claims this policy is for the journalists' own safety and the propaganda value to the Palestinians if a journalist was hurt. One Israeli source explained, "What if one of these media stars gets hurt? Even if
it isn't Israel's fault, it will be perceived as fundamental for the
Palestinians."
But even Israeli sources will admit that is an ulterior motive:
Keeping the foreign journalists in Israel, sources
say, is good for Israel's image because the media is experiencing the
war from the Israeli side. As soon as the IDF gets a hold in the Strip,
it is expected that the IDF Spokesman will let Israeli and foreign
journalists in with the army. For the time being, the only presence
documenting events is the spokesman's office.
At least they're honest. I guess this policy helps explain the media coverage to this point. And with a plan that sounds suspiciously like the U.S.'s embedded media program in Iraq, can we expect better coverage in the future?
