Coming to You “Live”

Abstract

Operation Iraqi Freedom marked not only the U.S. military's second foray into Iraq in just over a decade but also an unprecedented partnership between the U.S. government and corporate media outlets. Some 600 journalists—sanctioned, select teams of reporters and camera crews—were given battlefield training and allowed to live and travel with U.S. troops. This article argues that embed accounts thus were exclusive, both as the purview of a given network and as a form of reporting that excluded more expansive coverage in favor of a highly individualized viewpoint.