"Israeli" military proposes once-a-day tally of casualties
Source: Daily Star, 07-06-2008
The 'Israeli' military spokesman has proposed that in any future war, a single, official statement is issued each day, giving the number of soldiers and settlers killed or wounded, according to a report published by 'Israeli' daily Haaretz on Friday.
Spokesman Avi Benayahu raised the suggestion at a special Press Council debate on Friday based on experience from the summer 2006 war in Lebanon.
During the last war in Lebanon and other military operations, the 'Israeli' censor frequently banned the media from reporting fatalities for several hours, until all the dead soldiers' family members had been notified.
But while 'Israeli' television and radio broadcast vague reports of "heavy exchanges of fire," news of the fatalities usually leaked out via text messages, foreign media reports and Web sites. After the war, the 'Israeli' Press Council set up a committee to draft ethical rules in war time.
The committee, headed by council president Justice Dalia Dorner, concluded that it was inappropriate to use publicly understood codes to report that soldiers fell in battle before their families had been notified. "All the journalists we spoke to agreed that this could be avoided if all members of the media agreed to do so," the report said.
The 'Israeli' military spokesman has proposed that in any future war, a single, official statement is issued each day, giving the number of soldiers and settlers killed or wounded, according to a report published by 'Israeli' daily Haaretz on Friday.
Spokesman Avi Benayahu raised the suggestion at a special Press Council debate on Friday based on experience from the summer 2006 war in Lebanon.
During the last war in Lebanon and other military operations, the 'Israeli' censor frequently banned the media from reporting fatalities for several hours, until all the dead soldiers' family members had been notified.
But while 'Israeli' television and radio broadcast vague reports of "heavy exchanges of fire," news of the fatalities usually leaked out via text messages, foreign media reports and Web sites. After the war, the 'Israeli' Press Council set up a committee to draft ethical rules in war time.
The committee, headed by council president Justice Dalia Dorner, concluded that it was inappropriate to use publicly understood codes to report that soldiers fell in battle before their families had been notified. "All the journalists we spoke to agreed that this could be avoided if all members of the media agreed to do so," the report said.
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