Freedom of the Press and the Iraq War

The question of the media’s role in wartime has become more and more important as
the press is increasingly involved in the events on the battleground. Since the Vietnam War
the freedom of press and the amount of political control over the media have been subject to
controversial debate. In the Iraq War, however, the issue of journalism has reached a new
level. With regard to the ‘embedding’ of reporters in this war, this essay will deal with how
the media’s role in the Iraq war is different from previous wars in American history. This
issue will be discussed in the context of the First Amendment to the American Constitution.